PRESS CONFER

Benjamin Peter Ashley was a person of interest in a murder, kidnapping and attempted murder of peace officers. After an 18-day manhunt, he was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Inyokern Saturday evening. It's unclear whether he killed himself or if sheriff's deputies fired the fatal shots.

Benjamin Ashley, the subject of a 2 1/2-week manhunt in eastern Kern County, was indeed the man killed in Inyokern Saturday evening, but it’s unclear whether he took his own life or was shot to death by deputies, Sheriff Donny Youngblood said Sunday morning.

“I’m not happy when anybody dies, but this is less traumatic to me than most,” the sheriff said when asked about his feelings.

Recommended for you