Multiple Killed, Others Injured in Moss Landing Shooting in California

Multiple people were killed and others injured in a shooting just after midnight on Monday, November 2, 2026, along Jetty Road in Moss Landing, California, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office has confirmed, in a quiet coastal community that residents say had not seen violence on this scale in decades.

Deputies and detectives remained at the scene on Monday morning, and California State Parks Police closed Jetty Road and Moss Landing State Beach at the Sheriff's Office's request. Officials said there was no active threat to the community, but they have not released the number of people killed or injured, the victims' identities, the circumstances of the shooting, or whether any suspect has been identified or taken into custody.

Key Points

• Multiple people were killed and others injured in a shooting shortly after midnight on November 2, 2026, on Jetty Road in Moss Landing, Monterey County, California.
• The Monterey County Sheriff's Office confirmed multiple fatalities and casualties but has not released an official victim count, identities, or a motive.
• Jetty Road and Moss Landing State Beach were closed while deputies and detectives investigated, and officials said there was no active threat to the community.
• A sheriff's news conference was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT on Monday, when officials were expected to give their first fuller briefing.
• Moss Landing is a small unincorporated community on Highway 1 between Monterey and Santa Cruz, about 18 miles northeast of Monterey.

What Happened

According to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, the shooting happened shortly after midnight on Monday along Jetty Road in Moss Landing. Deputies and detectives responded to the scene and were still working there on Monday morning as the investigation continued.

In its initial statement, the Sheriff's Office said multiple fatalities and casualties had been confirmed, that there was no active threat to the Moss Landing community at this time, and that no further information would be released at that stage because the investigation was active. USA TODAY reported that Sheriff's Office spokesperson Andy Rosas confirmed the shooting took place just after midnight about 18 miles northeast of Monterey, and that authorities had not confirmed the number of people killed or injured or any information about the circumstances.

California State Parks Police closed Jetty Road and Moss Landing State Beach at the Sheriff's Office's request, and residents were asked to avoid the area while investigators worked. An officer told an approaching driver on Monday morning that the road would be closed for the rest of the day.

Moss Landing Shooting: What Officials Have — and Have Not — Said

The gap between what is confirmed and what is not is the central fact of this developing story. What is confirmed by the Sheriff's Office is that a shooting occurred just after midnight on Jetty Road, that multiple people were killed and others were injured, that investigators were on scene on Monday morning, and that officials assessed there was no active threat to the community.

What has not been confirmed by officials is the exact number of dead and injured, who the victims were, what led to the shooting, whether a weapon was recovered, and whether anyone is in custody. Local reporting has added colour but not an official count: the Monterey County Now reported that a surfer, Mark Pastick, arrived at about 8 a.m. to cross Jetty Road toward the dunes and instead saw two bodies lying in the road, with law enforcement telling him to move away. Pastick, who said he had lived in Moss Landing for 35 years, told the outlet he had not seen this type of violence there before, saying, in his words, that it is so quiet and nobody comes there.

A nearby resident who declined to be named told the same outlet she had heard gunshots, women screaming and cars revving overnight. Pastick, who had been sleeping in his boat by 10 p.m., said he did not hear gunshots. Those accounts are eyewitness reports, not official findings, and this article does not treat them as a confirmed death toll.

Reactions and Local Response

The immediate official response has been deliberately limited. The Sheriff's Office has not held back the core fact — multiple people dead and others hurt — but it has declined to add detail while detectives work, a common position in the first hours of a homicide investigation when victim notifications and evidence collection are still under way.

The closures themselves were the most visible local response. Jetty Road, the road adjoining Moss Landing State Beach, was shut to traffic, and the beach was closed, cutting off a normally quiet access point used by surfers, fishers and visitors to the dunes. Officers were seen turning cars away on Monday morning.

No official statement from county supervisors, state officials or federal agencies had been reported at the time of writing, and no vigil or community gathering had been announced. That silence is likely to change after the Sheriff's Office news conference, which was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT on Monday.

Why It Matters

Moss Landing is not a place associated with gun violence. It is a small working coastal community — a harbour, a power plant, wetlands and a state beach — on the stretch of Highway 1 between Monterey and Santa Cruz. A multiple-fatality shooting there, on a road beside the dunes, is therefore a shock locally even before any national context is considered.

It also comes at a moment when California and the country are already focused on public safety and on the eve of the November 3 midterm elections, when voters are weighing crime, policing and community safety among other issues. A developing mass-casualty case with no suspect information and no motive will inevitably draw attention, and it underlines why the Sheriff's Office's next briefing matters: the difference between a targeted incident and a broader threat, which officials have so far said does not exist, shapes how residents and visitors should respond.

For readers, the responsible way to follow this story is to rely on the Sheriff's Office's own updates rather than on unverified scanner reports or social-media claims about casualty numbers, which have already circulated without official confirmation.

What Happens Next

The Sheriff's Office news conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT on Monday is the next expected milestone. Officials may confirm the number of victims, whether anyone is in custody, and whether Jetty Road and the beach will reopen.

Detectives will continue to process the scene, interview witnesses, and review any available video or vehicle information. Victim identifications normally follow notification of next of kin, so names may take longer than a casualty count to emerge. This article will be updated as the Sheriff's Office releases confirmed information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did the Moss Landing shooting happen?

On Jetty Road in Moss Landing, an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, beside Moss Landing State Beach, shortly after midnight on Monday, November 2, 2026.

How many people were killed in the Moss Landing shooting?

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has confirmed multiple fatalities and casualties but has not released an official number. Unverified figures circulating online should not be treated as confirmed.

Is there an active threat in Moss Landing?

The Sheriff's Office said there was no active threat to the Moss Landing community at the time of its initial statement, while the investigation remained active.

Has anyone been arrested?

Officials had not said whether a suspect had been identified or anyone taken into custody at the time of writing.

Are Jetty Road and Moss Landing State Beach open?

Both were closed on Monday morning at the Sheriff's Office's request while investigators worked the scene.

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