Sheriff Honsal on scene of OIS, press conference will be held at Bear River at 5 p.m.

(posted at 4:46 p.m.)

I just spoke with Sheriff William Honsal about the officer involved shooting. He said they are still gathering information. A press conference will be held at 5 p.m. HCSO issued a press release at 710 p.m. I contacted HCSO Lt. Jesse Taylor. Two deputies placed on paid administrative leave as per standard protocol.

HCSO Press Release:

On June 5 at 2:16 p.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) received a call reporting a male subject who had entered the Bear River Recreation Center with a bandaged, bloody arm and was actively dripping blood throughout the facility. HCSO deputies arrived on scene and determined that the subject was uncooperative but in need of medical attention. Emergency medical assistance was requested but the subject refused treatment. 

At approximately 3:30 p.m., HCSO deputies cleared the scene and the subject agreed to leave. However, instead of leaving, the subject became combative and confronted the deputies with a weapon in a threatening manner. An HCSO deputy discharged their service weapon at the suspect, striking the suspect. 

Emergency medical assistance was rendered immediately and fire and medical personnel were dispatched to the scene.  The suspect was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. 

The suspect is a 29-year-old white male adult. He does not appear to be a resident of Humboldt County or affiliated with the Bear River Rancheria. 

This case is currently under investigation. The Critical Incident Response Team has been notified and will be investigating this case alongside the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office and the HCSO Major Crimes Division. This investigation is predicted to last several hours, and the roadway will remain closed for evidence collection. This incident was witnessed by several people at the scene and was captured on body-worn camera. 

More information will be released as it becomes available. 

HCSO update (6/6):

On 06/05/2025 at approximately 1620 hours, 29-year-old Nicholas David Anderson (DOB 05/02/1996) succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the critical incident which occurred earlier that afternoon at about 1531 hours near the Bear River Family Entertainment Center in Loleta.  

During this incident, Anderson charged a Deputy Sheriff with a knife in a threating manner.  As a result, one deputy fired his service weapon striking Anderson in the chest. The incident was witnessed by bystanders and captured on body cameras worn by the deputies. 

Preliminary information indicates Nicholas Anderson is not a Humboldt County resident and the circumstances surrounding his presence in the Loleta area are currently under investigation. Investigators are continuing to establish a timeline regarding Nicholas Anderson’s whereabouts and actions in the days prior to his involvement in the critical incident. License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras indicate a vehicle associated with Nicholas Anderson arrived in Humboldt County from the Simi Valley, CA area on June 3, 2025. 

It appears while in Humboldt County, Nicholas Anderson utilized an alias to receive medical treatment at a local medical facility for a previously existing injury.  Two Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputies involved in the incident have been placed on routine paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation. 

More information will be made available once a forensic autopsy is completed, which is anticipated to occur in the coming days. 

This case is still under investigation by the multi-agency Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), led by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office.