The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office today released the names of the three deputies involved in the fatal shooting of a suspect on July 26 in an area near Blue Lake.
In a press release, the officers were identified as: Deputy Jonathan Eckert, with nine years of law enforcement experience; Deputy Cole Kane, with six years of law enforcement experience, and Deputy Russell Hurley, with nine years of law enforcement experience.
The sheriff’s office states the three deputies “remain on paid administrative leave, per standard protocol.”
A forensic autopsy for the man killed, 35-year-old Eureka resident Jared Randell Nelson, is “still pending,” according to the agency’s release.
The sheriff’s office previously said Nelson had “active arrest warrants for felon in possession of a firearm, probation violation and an out-of-county warrant” and was shot around 8 p.m. on the 1300 block of Glendale Drive after firing a gun at deputies who were attempting to locate him.
“This investigation remains active and is being conducted by the Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT),” today’s release states. “Additional details will be released in compliance with California State Law as the investigation progresses.”
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.
This article appears in Best of Show 2025.
