On the evening of March 26, 2015, at about 8:21 p.m., Clearlake officers responded to multiple gunshots in the 16000 block of 35th Avenue. Two men were found with gunshot wounds; one was pronounced dead at the scene and the other died after transport to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake. The victims were identified as 54-year-old Steven Jepsen and 38-year-old Juan Perez-Rodriguez, both residents of Clearlake.

A 26-year-old Clearlake resident, Francisco Leon-Sarmiento, was stopped while fleeing the scene and his vehicle yielded about two pounds of marijuana. Searches of his home reportedly uncovered additional marijuana cultivation and a loaded firearm, but investigators said the firearm was not connected to the killings. Authorities indicated the shootings appeared linked to a dispute over a marijuana transaction and a personal debt, yet they announced insufficient evidence to charge Leon-Sarmiento with the homicides and the investigation remained active.

Steven Jepsen had just turned 54 on March 24; he was born in Petaluma and had lived in Clearlake for several years. If anyone has information about the March 26, 2015 shootings, please contact the Clearlake Police Department.