A man who was fatally shot Saturday by park rangers in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park was wanted in connection with a shooting earlier this month on highway 680 in Milpitas.
As KPIX is reporting, 26-year-old Kevin Anthony Alaniz had been hiding out in the Big Sur wilderness, but came to the attention of park rangers when he fired several shots from a Glock pistol while walking along Mount Manuel Trail on Saturday evening. According to the Mercury News, Alaniz had shot at some hikers in the area, though no one was injured.
Alaniz was reportedly acting erratically and had very dilated pupils according to a pair of hikers who were confronted by him on the trail. They say Alaniz got in one of their faces and said, "This is my world." The hikers turned around and walked away from Alaniz, but then they heard a gunshot behind them, which was followed by several more, with a bullet whizzing past one of their heads and into a tree. It took them 45 minutes to get back down the trail and to get cell service to call 911.
Three California State Park rangers responded to the scene and confronted Alaniz, and shot at him a total of nine times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Monterey County District Attorney and the California Highway Patrol gave a joint press conference Thursday morning explaining that Alaniz was the suspect in a June 17 shooting that took place on 680 in Milpitas. The victim in the shooting was 30-year-old Matthew Rios of Milpitas, who was found dead behind the wheel of a Toyota.
CHP San Jose spokesman Rose Lee said at the press conference that Rios's shooting was a "targeted attack" and "The victim and suspect did know each other." No further details about their relationship have been released.
Alaniz was found with 300 rounds of ammunition in his backpack, and Lee said that the ammunition matched what was used in the shooting of Rios.