OFF THE WIRE
Murrieta police have arrested a Riverside County sheriff's deputy suspected in the shooting death Wednesday evening of a 36-year-old Winchester man inside Spelly's Pub & Grille on Murrieta Hot Springs Road.
Authorities also have identified the victim in the fatal shooting as Samuel Vanettes, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thursday morning, the Sheriff's Department identified the deputy as Dayle Long, 42, a 10-year veteran of the department.
Long is assigned to the Sheriff's Court Services West Division, said Sgt. Joe Borja, a department spokesman.
"He works in the courtrooms in downtown Riverside," Borja said.
Long was questioned at Murrieta police headquarters overnight, said Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad. He was booked into Southwest Detention Center in French Valley on suspicion of murder and his bail was set at $1 million, jail records show.
"He will be placed on administrative leave if released from custody," Borja said.
Murrieta police were called at 7:59 p.m. to the popular sports bar, which was crowded with customers, after receiving a call about a man with a gun.
Chris Hull, 39, of Temecula said he was inside the pub playing darts with his friend, whom he called Sam, when the suspect approached.
Hull said a conversation took place between the suspect and his friend.
"The guy said, 'I'm a cop. I can do whatever I want to do,'" Hull said.
Hull said the man then pulled a gun.
"I told him, 'Dude, put that gun away,'" Hull said.
The suspect then pointed the gun at Vanettes and fired at least three shots at the victim's chest, Hull said.
Customers inside the bar scattered when the shots were heard, Hull said.
"I ran and hid in the bathroom," Hull said.
Conrad said that when officers arrived, the suspect was just outside the door of the business.
"(He) immediately identified himself to the officers as an off-duty Riverside sheriff's deputy," Conrad said.
Officers entered the business and found Vanettes on the floor suffering from several gunshot wounds, Conrad said.
"The off-duty officer was determined to be the shooter in this incident," Conrad said. "He was detained without incident."
Investigators arrived and sealed off the shopping center's parking lot. Patrons in other businesses were allowed to leave, but Spelly's customers were questioned inside the pub. Later, about a dozen of them were escorted to the nearby Starbucks where they were interviewed further.
Investigators were still on the scene Thursday morning and could be seen coming and going from Spelly's. Most of the parking lot was reopened by 8 a.m.
A message posted on Spelly's Facebook page Thursday thanked customers for their calls, texts, thoughts and concerns.
"This is a horrible tragedy that happened to unfortunately take place at Spelly's," the post read. "We all know that the world can be a scary place and it is horrible when it hits us so close to home in our close knit town. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone concerned."
By Thursday afternoon, Spelly's had reopened for business.
This was the second homicide in Murrieta this week. On Tuesday, an 18-year-old Murrieta Valley High School student was stabbed to death in her home, and her father and a friend were wounded. That home, on Milkwood Lane, is about a mile from Wednesday's homicide.
The suspect in the multiple stabbing case is still at large.
Before this week's slayings, the last homicide in Murrieta occurred in January 2010.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-sheriff-s-deputy-arrested-in-murrieta-pub-slaying/article_5205e39a-3295-5cc7-a24f-a131fa7d4143.html