Shooting of Offroaders

I do not intend to hijack this thread. My comment has nothing to do with the OP's story. But I feel it is relevant to mention.

With the current political climate, everyone should proceed with caution with regards to private land.

Try as I might to talk sense, even members of my own family are paranoid about "Antifa" showing up on their property. Theres a lot of fear and misinformation on display. Even locals in some areas are being harassed and threatened (sometimes at gunpoint) for simply passing through. Please be cautious and alert. That is all.
 
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If someone pointed a gun at me on my own property we are for sure having an exchange and im not calling 911 if he/she/it was hurt
 
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I get the warning... but I think we're all respectful of private land already. In this case though, it sounds like it started at a campground (not private land) and then went to a trail (not private land). The deceased's family has made a statement clarifying he was not on any private land, nor did he ever use private land.
 
Shakes355 said:
I do not intend to hijack this thread. My comment has nothing to do with the OP's story. But I feel it is relevant to mention.

With the current political climate, everyone should proceed with caution with regards to private land.

Try as I might to talk sense, even members of my own family are paranoid about "Antifa" showing up on their property. Theres a lot of fear and misinformation on display. Even locals in some areas are being harassed and threatened (sometimes at gunpoint) for simply passing through. Please be cautious and alert. That is all.
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Wise words. Stay safe everybody.
 
I'm going to be real callous here, WTF was he doing offroading without a gun. Not the the USA has a gun problem, just saying....
 
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Just got another update. The suspect has been identified as John Thomas Conway, 40, from Oroville, CA. He has priors and has been on Butte County Sheriff Departments "Most Wanted" list since August of 2019.
 
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Thanks for all the info, Robert. I spent 20 years in GV/NC and took quite a few trips up to Downieville. Still hard to believe this happened there.
 
MidOH said:
Weird. Especially cause snowmobiles roll right across rough trails easy. And snow by it's very nature smooths stuff out. Even if you wore a 6' deep water pit into the trail, mobiles can skitter right across that as well.

Nutty people.

Darn a newer report:
motoxmagazine.com

Rider Injured By Barbed Wire Strung At Neck Height - Motocross Online Magazine

CRAIG Billiet is lucky to have his head after he was booby trapped by barbed wire on a dirt bike ride. “I can’t believe someone would do that”: Father of four almost decapitated while riding his dirt bike by a barbed wire booby trap strung at neck height. Craig Billiet saw the barbed wired strung …
motoxmagazine.com motoxmagazine.com
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Not to get too off topic here, but I can tell you've never snowmobiled, at least not on a trail rutted up by vehicles and ATV's. It's incredibly dangerous, especially if it's unexpected. Which it shouldn't be expected on a marked snowmobile trail. (if it's marked multi-use that's totally different).

A friend lost his life after hitting a rut made by a truck that drove down part of a trail. Ski got caught, turned him right into a tree. You don't "roll right across" that. Snow does not smooth out on its own.

It's a big issue here with people using dedicated snowmobile trails for vehicles and atvs. I don't ride anymore but when I did it pissed me off to no end when I saw that. We paid for those trails to be there, we maintained those trails. To have that hard work and money thrown out the window because some random guy (who can ride anywhere else all year long) decided he wanted to ruin a snowmobilers short season is ridiculous.


That being said it's absolutely not okay to booby trap trails for ANY reason. Two wrongs don't make a right.
 
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Billiebob said:
I'm going to be real callous here, WTF was he doing offroading without a gun. Not the the USA has a gun problem, just saying....
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Better question ? How did that wack job pos get a gun? Even if the poor guy was carryin the pos had the drop on him anyway. I’ve watched enough westerns and detective shows on TV to know this.

This is all very sad news.
 
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Rath said:
Not to get too off topic here, but I can tell you've never snowmobiled, at least not on a trail rutted up by vehicles and ATV's. It's incredibly dangerous, especially if it's unexpected. Which it shouldn't be expected on a marked snowmobile trail. (if it's marked multi-use that's totally different).

A friend lost his life after hitting a rut made by a truck that drove down part of a trail. Ski got caught, turned him right into a tree. You don't "roll right across" that. Snow does not smooth out on its own.

It's a big issue here with people using dedicated snowmobile trails for vehicles and atvs. I don't ride anymore but when I did it pissed me off to no end when I saw that. We paid for those trails to be there, we maintained those trails. To have that hard work and money thrown out the window because some random guy (who can ride anywhere else all year long) decided he wanted to ruin a snowmobilers short season is ridiculous.


That being said it's absolutely not okay to booby trap trails for ANY reason. Two wrongs don't make a right.
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I'm just a newb to those. The one I borrowed had more, or seemed to have more suspension travel than my Honda CRF450r, twice the power and weight, and a comfy chair. It easily shredded anything my bike could do. Backwards steering took me a while to get used to again. Really struggled with that.

Are there lesser snowmobiles out there? That can't handle such things? You guys don't prerun before going balls out? I don't see how a dirtbike trail wouldn't be perfect for snowmobiles in the winter with a foot of snow on top? Are snowmobile only marked trails, all multi-use here, smooth as glass or something?


I'm way more worried about brainwashed eco freaks setting booby traps, than a meth head with a gun. Unexpected ruts, from rain, or traffic, are par for the course. We don't freak out, we just deal with it.
 
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It would be polite and nice if the Trail guys would stop hyjacking this thread and go start a new one this is about a guy being killed here..
 
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Is this a memorial thread? Darn, I forgot roses.

Did they release a motive yet? Or is it really just a crack head?
 
Charles M said:
It would be polite and nice if the Trail guys would stop hyjacking this thread and go start a new one this is about a guy being killed here..
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I can respect where you're coming from with this post. But we're really not that far off topic here. Hazards and people harming/taking other people's lives on the trail. It's a serious topic and discussion of it is never a bad thing.

If you disagree then we will simply have to agree to disagree.
 
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If your kids can't make acid, then your school systems are failing.
 
J.W. said:
These types of attacks seem to be on the rise. Several overlanders / campers were murdered in Canada last year. Stay safe out there, everyone.
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Just to be clear the incident above was part of 3 killings by 2 individuals - very much a case of wrong place at the wrong time. Sad result of of 2 obviously unhinged individuals as they chose suicide we will never know why.
 
www.sfgate.com

Son says dad was killed asking for directions in California

DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A San Francisco Bay Area doctor who was on an off-roading trip with his 15-year-old son was shot and killed after he stopped to ask a man for directions, his son and other relatives said. Dr. Ari Gershman of Danville was shot on the Fourth of July near Downieville in...
www.sfgate.com www.sfgate.com

Apparently they had just purchased the Jeep the day before. Dad had stopped to ask for directions from scumbag when he was shot.

www.sfgate.com

Son says dad was killed asking for directions in California

DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A San Francisco Bay Area doctor who was on an off-roading trip with his 15-year-old son was shot and killed after he stopped to ask a man for directions, his son and other relatives said. Dr. Ari Gershman of Danville was shot on the Fourth of July near Downieville in...
www.sfgate.com www.sfgate.com
 
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