ON THE COVER
Nikki Dion Metcalf, Margarett Lee Moon and Shelly Autumn Mae Moon (left to right) were fatally shot the morning of Feb 10 in their home on the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Reservation, leaving a community in mourning. Facebook
Triple Homicide Leaves Loleta ‘Heartbroken’ By NCJ Staff
newsroom@northcoastjournal.com
T
he 18-year-old Loleta man accused of fatally shooting three people — including a 16-yearold girl — at a home on the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Reservation the morning of Feb. 10 was known to the victims and a “guest in their house,” Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal told the Journal. Deputies were called to the house in the 200 block of Carroll Road a little after 8 a.m., when a juvenile in the home called 911 to report a shooting. They arrived to find two people dead and a third with “serious injuries” who later died at a local hospital. Two children — 11 and 13, according to Honsal — were found uninjured in the home.
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The victims were later identified as Nikki Dion Metcalf and Margarett Lee Moon, both 40, and Moon’s 16-year-old daughter, Shelly Autumn Mae Moon. Moon and Metcalf had become engaged to be married on Christmas Eve, according to a post on Moon’s Facebook page. Honsal said the suspect — Mauricio Eduardo Johnson — was a “friend” of the family and had a relationship with Shelly, though Honsal said their “exact relationship” remains under investigation. But he said Johnson had been given permission to be inside the house by “at least one of the residents” and the family knew he was in the house prior to the shootings. Detectives, Honsal said, continue to investigate a possible motive for what’s
NORTH COAST JOURNAL • Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 • northcoastjournal.com
believed to be the county’s first triple homicide in at least two decades. “It’s a tragedy,” the sheriff said. “Our hearts go out to the Bear River community and the Moon family. It’s just an absolute tragedy.” The killings have had profound impacts on the Bear River and Loleta communities. Shelly and Margarett Lee Moon both worked at Loleta Elementary School as aides, tutoring students and working in the afterschool program. “Loleta Union School District is saddened by the loss of two wonderful young women,” the district said in a statement emailed to the Journal. “They graced us with their beautiful smiles and loving hearts. Their work with children
was appreciated, they will be missed by everyone at LUSD.” In coordination with the Humboldt County Office of Education, the Bear River Rancheria, Two Feathers, Humboldt Bridges and SELPA, the district is offering counseling and support for anyone who needs it. Anyone wishing to access services or get more information can call 733-5705. “We are a community and are here to help each other,” the statement said. Attempts to reach the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria for this story were not immediately successful. When deputies arrived at the scene of the Feb. 10 shootings, Honsal said they immediately recognized the gravity of
