Full Notification

On Saturday, May 28, 2016, at approximately 3:15pm, the Sonoma Police Department received a phone call from a male subject, who said he just received a phone call from an acquaintance in Sonoma.
The acquaintance said he just shot his wife and needed a place to hide. The caller thought maybe a police officer had been shot also.

Deputies responded to the suspect’s residence in the 300 block of Nicoli Lane in the city of Sonoma. The suspect acknowledged the deputies presence, but refused to speak with them or come out of the house. A neighbor reported hearing two (2) gunshots earlier in the day from the suspect’s residence.

A member of the Sheriff’s Office Hostage Negotiations Team began a phone conversation with the suspect. During the course of negotiations, the suspect’s demeanor was volatile and he said he was going have a shoot-out with the police. Due to the seriousness of the event, the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit responded to the scene.

The suspect’s wife was eventually contacted on her mobile phone, where it was determined that she was in a safe location. She did confirm, however, that the suspect shot at her earlier in the day.

While on-scene, the suspect would frequently open the front door, yell at the deputies, and then close the door. At one point, the suspect threw a handgun, gun magazines, and a cell phone out the front door and onto the front lawn.

The Sheriff’s SWAT team approached the suspect’s residence utilizing an armored personnel carrier and began dialog with the suspect with a loudspeaker. Eventually, the suspect came outside and surrendered without incident.

At this time, detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Investigations unit are handling the investigation, which will included a search of the residence and an interview with both suspect and victim. Charges have not been determined at this time.

The suspect has been identified as Timothy P. Deschenes, age 55, from Sonoma.

For additional information, please contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau at 707-565-2185. Refer to Sonoma PD CR# 16-0000746.

Prepared by Chief Bret Sackett, Sonoma Police Department