Suspect in Custody After Shooting at San Rafael Detox Center Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Injured

Updated Monday, 5:05 p.m.

A suspect was in custody and being interviewed by Marin County Sheriff's detectives Monday afternoon after one person was killed and two were injured in an early-morning shooting at a substance abuse recovery center in San Rafael.

Sheriff's deputies responded to a call "reporting that staff members had been shot" at the Helen Vine Recovery Center shortly after 1:30 a.m., according to a Marin County Sheriff's Office press release.

Late Monday afternoon, another press release from the sheriff's office identified the suspect as Davance Lamar Reed, 37, a transient. They said Reed was being held for an unrelated early-morning incident, but that he "made admissions to the detectives which tied him to the crime scene."

A man who has yet to be identified was pronounced dead at the scene, according to sheriff's Sgt. Michael Brovelli.

Another man and a woman were taken to the hospital, and were identified late Monday afternoon as Anthony Dominguez Mansapit, 32, an employee of the facility, and Brittney Kehaulani McCann, 30, of Marin City. The Marin County Sheriff's Office identified McCann as having a dating relationship with the suspect. Both Mansapit and McCann remain in ICU care at Marin General Hospital.

"This morning's incident was isolated to the facility itself," the Sheriff's Office reported Monday afternoon. No clients of the facility were injured.

A suspect fled the scene, Brovelli said, and no official description was available. San Rafael, Novato and Central Marin police officers assisted in the search, in addition to a California Highway Patrol helicopter and officers.

CHP dispatchers relayed a possible suspect description within about two hours, according to police scanner audio retrieved from broadcastify.com.

The dispatcher said a possible suspect was described as a black male, unknown age, wearing a dark-blue baseball cap with unknown emblem, navy jacket, blue pants, and a "light-blue access card around his neck." The dispatcher said the weapon used was likely a handgun.

Later, dispatchers described the suspect's vehicle as a 1998 black Honda sedan with tinted windows and sliver rims, last seen traveling away from the center in an unknown direction.

Detectives had developed a lead on a suspect, the Sheriff's Office reported at noon, adding that there is no current threat to the community.

The Sheriff's Office said a suspect was in custody shortly after 2 p.m.

The Helen Vine Recovery Center at 301 Smith Ranch Road in San Rafael is a licensed residential detox program with 26 beds spread across men's and women's dorms.

Jeffrey Trotter showed up outside the center Monday after he heard about the shooting, hoping to meet up with friends and others with a connection to the place.

"This is just a tragedy," he said. "This is so close to home."

While he'd never stayed there, Trotter said he'd helped about a dozen other recovering addicts check in.

"Drugs and alcohol make you lose your way in life," he said, struggling to hold back tears. "The people here understand that you've lost your way, and that you're trying to get back."

The Helen Vine Recovery Center been administered by the San Rafael-based Buckelew Programs since 2011, according to a listing on the organization's website.

"While it is unimaginable to think that such a horrific event occurred at one of our facilities, it’s important to remember that Buckelew Programs has been providing safe and effective services for decades; improving the lives of tens of thousands of people," Buckeley Programs CEO Tamara Player wrote in an emailed response.

Player wrote that the organization is "collaborating" after the shooting with sheriff's officials and the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services.

"Our focus in the coming days will be on the safety and well-being of clients, staff and families of those affected," Player wrote.

The Helen Vine Recovery Center opened a new, $3.2 million building at the same location this spring, according to the Marin Independent Journal, which reported that the center has 25 full- and part-time employees. It first opened in 1999.

The center served over 900 people last year, according to Player.

Ted Goldberg, Sara Hossaini and Alex Emslie of KQED News contributed to this report.