Neighbors describe what happened before fatal shooting, standoff in central Modesto
People who live in the neighborhood where a fatal shooting was followed by a lengthy standoff Sunday said the victim was a “really good guy” and the suspect was new to the area.
Modesto police on Monday said the Sunday afternoon shooting took the life of Michael “Jesse” Sullivan, 31, of Modesto. The suspect, identified as Daniel Riggs, 40, of Modesto, then holed up in a nearby home on Debbie Lane before fatally shooting himself late Sunday night, police said.
One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she was in her backyard when she heard gunshots sometime before 2:30 p.m.. She went to her front door to see if she was in any imminent danger and saw the suspect walking briskly toward Dalton Way. She then called police.
The woman said the house across from her is occupied by a woman and two children. The man who appears to be the suspect showed up in the past couple of weeks.
The woman said Sullivan lived with his wife and three children next door to the home at the corner of Debbie Lane and Dalton Way where the suspect kept law enforcement at bay.
Gordon Miller, who said he is Sullivan’s father-in-law, was at the home Monday morning. He said he came to Modesto for his mother’s 90th birthday celebration. Miller said Sullivan’s wife and their children had just left home for the party when the shooting occurred.
Miller and another neighbor, Lonnie Mitchell, said the shooting occurred after a dispute arose between Riggs and Sullivan over a license plate on a Chevrolet Tahoe in Sullivan’s driveway.
Mitchell said Sullivan bought the Tahoe from Riggs and swapped out the engine. Miller said from what he understood, Riggs came over and wanted the registration tags from the Tahoe license plate. It was unclear why he might want the tags, as they are supposed to remain with the vehicle.
Miller said his daughter is beside herself, really struggling and sometimes hysterical. The Sullivan children are ages 15, 9 and 6. Miller said the youngest thankfully isn’t really grasping what’s happened and the older two are doing their best to comfort their mom.
Mitchell, who has lived in his home for 44 years, described Sullivan as “a great guy”who was always “always on call” to help out if a neighbor needed help with something. “He’s a friend as soon as you meet him,” Mitchell said of Sullivan’s friendly demeanor. He was “a family man” who was around the house a lot and enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
A woman who lives across the street from Sullivan said he and his family moved in about two and a half years ago. She, too, said he was “very nice, very helpful. He helped around the neighborhood a lot.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 9:15 AM.
