Robert James Holtsclaw, 58, of Alderpoint, California, was killed on September 23, 2017, by a high-velocity 30-caliber rifle round that entered his upper left arm, shattered the bone, then passed into his upper left chest, grazing his heart and tearing a main coronary artery before lodging in the right chest wall. The bullet was described as a hollow-point copper round that expanded on impact and caused extensive internal damage.

The shooting occurred after Holtsclaw returned from a horseshoe tournament and was sitting in his pickup truck. An eyewitness, Tory Hennings, testified that Zachary Cordell Harrison fired the fatal shot. Harrison was later found hiding in a trailer with six copper 30-30 bullets, similar to the round used in the shooting, concealed under a dining room chair cushion.

At trial the jury convicted Harrison of first-degree murder. The family described profound grief at sentencing. The motive remains unclear, with some speculation that Harrison may have intended to shoot Hennings instead. Does anyone have information about Holtsclaw’s last known movements or about the events at the horseshoe tournament that night?