Man Found Shot To Death Inside U-Haul Truck At Moorpark Storage Facility, Suspect In Custody

MOORPARK (CBSLA) — Authorities arrested Ellsworth Kadle, 67,  Friday night in connection with a man who was found shot to death inside a vehicle parked at a self-storage facility in Moorpark.

Police said they were able to track the Kadle's vehicle and took him into custody near Moorpark College without incident after a high-risk traffic stop at about 11:15 p.m.

The initial shots fired call came into the Ventura County Sheriff's Department around 2:20 p.m., according to a Ventura County spokesperson.

When a sheriff's helicopter arrived on scene, the deputies inside zeroed in on a U-Haul truck where investigators said they found a 60-year-old man dead from at least one gunshot wound. They believe the suspect might have had a personal relationship with the victim.

"This is a rare occurrence here in Moorpark to see the helicopters going around and the police showing up," Brian Lawrence, a resident, said.

Just down the street at the Waterstone at Moorpark apartment complex, deputies had one apartment — believed to be the suspect's home — surrounded as they waited for a search warrant.

"I spoke to the neighbors down here," Eli Bercerra, a resident of the apartment complex, said. "They told me no one's allowed in."

For hours, residents were kept from their homes Friday.

"A little uneasy, because my fiancee is in the apartment complex by herself, so I'm a little worried," Bercerra said. "Making sure she's safe, and I'm not there to protect her."

Hannah Snoots has two daughters, ages 12 and 13, both with special needs who remained on lockdown with their babysitter. She said deputies put her at ease, saying that the area was safe, but she remained on the outside looking in.

"Not knowing what's going on," she said. "I'd rather be in there with them, obviously. I just want to get in there to my kids."

Deputies said some sort of dispute led up to the fatal shooting, though the relationship between the suspect and the victim was not immediately disclosed.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes shortly after 10:30 p.m.