One man is dead and another in custody after a shooting early Saturday near Henderson Lake on Missionary Ridge.
David Alan Jones, a 26-year-old Fort Lewis College student from Woods Cross, Utah, was shot to death for unknown reasons, according to La Plata County Sheriffs Office spokesman Dan Bender. He said the shooting appears to be unprovoked.
After an investigation, deputies arrested Durango native Brenden Dow Ashburn, 37. Ashburn was arrested at the scene, an unimproved area. The spot is about four miles north of Henderson Lake, some 20 miles north of Durango. Bender said the victim was camping with a friend from FLC, while the suspect was apparently camping alone. A family, unrelated to either party, was camping nearby, Bender said.
Sheriffs deputies originally responded to a 911 call about 2 a.m. Saturday, according to a Sheriffs Office news release. The unidentified caller said a man had been shot, the release said.
When deputies arrived, campers directed them to a man lying on the ground at another campsite. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. A handgun believed used in the crime was recovered at the scene, and there are no other suspects in the case, the release said.
Interviews led to Ashburns arrest on suspicion of first-degree murder, the La Plata County Sheriffs Office said. He is being held without bond in La Plata County Detention Center. Ashburn faces an initial court appearance this week where bond will be set.
Bender said the location is not an established campground but is commonly used by hunters. There is a parking area close to the campsites.
