Full Notification

On Saturday, August 24, 2013, at approximately 4:45 p.m., the Simi Valley Police Department’s Communication Center received a call from a subject who said that his brother, Ryan Carnan (29 years) had called him and said he had shot their mother, Sally Carnan (67 years) at their residence at 1189 Mellow Lane. Ryan Carnan resided with his mother at the Mellow Lane address. When officers arrived at the Mellow Lane address, the residence was on fire. A female adult was discovered inside the residence deceased. Although her identity has not been confirmed, it is believed to be Sally Carnan. The cause of death of the female is still under investigation and is pending an autopsy by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. Sally Carnan was employed with the Simi Valley Unified School District as a secretary at Santa Susana High School.

While officers were at the residence on Mellow Lane, 911 operators began receiving calls from residence in the Bridal Path neighborhood of a male adult subject, later identified as Ryan Carnan (29 years), driving in the neighborhood on a tractor and shooting a gun. Officers who were searching the area around the Mellow Lane address could be heard on the police radio reporting that they were being shot at and that they could not locate where Carnan was shooting from. When officers from the Department’s Special Operations Unit arrived on Azure Hills Drive they located Carnan driving a tractor. When the officers were confronted with a deadly force situation, an officer involved shooting occurred. Carnan was deceased at the scene and a handgun was recovered. No officers were injured during this dangerous incident. Details of the officer involved shooting are not being released due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

What lead up to this tragic chain of events is still being investigated and has not yet been determined.

Based on information from 911 callers and officers on scene, investigators now know that Ryan Carnan was actively shooting a firearm at law enforcement officers, innocent bystanders and pointing the weapon at people in the nearby neighborhood. This additional information offers you a glimpse into what these officers were faced with from the moment they arrived. Although highly trained for these types of events, the actions displayed by all of the officers who responded to this incident are heroic. Were it not for their immediate actions more people could have been hurt or killed by this armed and dangerous subject.

The Simi Valley Police Department has had prior contact with Carnan; the most recent being in July 2008. Three incidences were mental health related calls. Carnan has had no criminal activity with the Simi Valley Police Department. Any other information related to Carnan’s criminal record is not being released at this time.

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