McKinleyville Shooting Report Leads to Two Arrests, Multiple Firearms Seized

A convicted felon and a 17-year-old on active juvenile probation were arrested after Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies traced reports of gunfire to a residence in the 800 block of Eucalyptus Road in McKinleyville, where a search warrant turned up multiple firearms and ammunition.

The call came in at approximately 8:56 a.m. on April 2, with neighbors reporting shots fired near Boiler Avenue and Eucalyptus Road. Witnesses directed deputies to the specific address, where they located a juvenile male outside and took him into custody. Investigators then secured a search warrant with assistance from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Division and searched the residence.

Christopher Scott Thomson, 26, of McKinleyville, was arrested on multiple felony weapons charges. As a convicted felon, Thomson was prohibited from possessing both firearms and ammunition under California Penal Code sections 29800(a)(1) and 30305(a)(1). He was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

The 17-year-old was booked into juvenile hall on a charge of possession of a firearm by a juvenile ward of the court under Penal Code section 29820(b). His active probation status at the time of the arrest adds a layer of legal consequence; probation conditions routinely include search stipulations, and any violation carries its own implications before a juvenile court judge.

Physical evidence recovered at the scene indicated that firearms had been discharged in the area, which gave investigators the probable cause needed to obtain the search warrant and expand the probe beyond the initial call. The Major Crimes Division's involvement reflects the department's standard approach when residential gunfire creates ballistics risks for neighbors and bystanders, even when no injuries are reported.

Thomson faces felony exposure as a previously convicted individual found with both firearms and ammunition. The juvenile's case will proceed through Humboldt County's juvenile court system, where his probation record and the firearm charge will be central to any disposition.

Anyone with additional information can contact the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office at (707) 445-7251 or submit an anonymous tip through the Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.