MENDOCINO CO., 5/27/25 – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that they have identified a man who died in a shooting tied to a Covelo cannabis grow earlier this month as 30-year-old Jorge Zavala Estrella of Vallecito in Calaveras County.
Two other men suffered serious injuries in the shooting but are in stable condition.
On May 14, deputies responded around 9 p.m. to a 911 hang-up call from the 82000 block of Mina Road in Covelo. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said the caller was a man who said he needed help for his friend.
When deputies arrived, they were informed by people in a vehicle that they saw an unresponsive man on Hulls Valley Road, which intersects with Mina Road. Authorities responded to that location and found a deceased man later identified as Zavala Estrella in the roadway near two unoccupied vehicles in the 23000 block of Hulls Valley Road.
While investigating the scene, deputies located multiple firearms and expended gun cartridge casings. According to the Sheriff’s Office, they also located a trail of blood about a quarter-mile in length that led to a cannabis grow.
Deputies later learned that two other men received medical attention for gunshot wounds tied to the shooting on Hulls Valley Road.
During the investigation, deputies also determined that the cannabis grow was illegal and had been operated by a drug trafficking organization.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center at (707) 463-4086. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling a non-emergency tip line at (707) 234-2100.
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