Cloverdale killing leads to barricade standoff with armed suspect in Santa Rosa

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Authorities were able to identify the suspect in the shooting as 56-year-old Lawrence Cassidy of Cloverdale, and determined he had fled the scene.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A fatal shooting in Cloverdale led authorities to an armed standoff on Sunday with a suspect that they tracked to a home in Santa Rosa.

The backstory:

Sonoma County Sheriff's Office deputies were sent just after 4:45 p.m. on Saturday to the 300 block of Cloverdale Heights Way on reports of a shooting, according to a department statement.

At the scene, deputies and officers from the Cloverdale Police Department found a victim suffering a gunshot wound at the scene. Authorities provided life-saving aid to the person, but they died at the scene.

Their name was not released.

Authorities were able to identify the suspect in the shooting as 56-year-old Lawrence Cassidy of Cloverdale, and determined he had fled the scene in a Ford SUV that was later found in Healdsburg. Further investigation revealed Cassidy had driven from the location in Healdsburg to a home in the 1500 block of Brush Creek Road in Santa Rosa.

"In the early morning hours of November 23, 2025, at about 1:26 am, the Sheriff's Office SWAT Team, Hostage Negotiations Team, and Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit were deployed to the Brush Creek Road location," the SCSO said in a statement. "Two occupants were safely removed from the residence by SWAT personnel."

The standoff:

Cassidy allegedly refused to exit the home, and the SCSO reported that, during the ensuing three-hour standoff, "multiple rounds were fired from within the residence."

The sheriff’s office said one of the rounds "possibly struck" an armored rescue vehicle at the scene "which was occupied by SWAT personnel at the time."

No injuries were reported in the shooting.

"While the suspect was firing, SWAT operators deployed chemical agents in an effort for a peaceful surrender," the SCSO said. "The Hostage Negotiations Team made repeated attempts to contact Cassidy by telephone and loudspeaker, but he refused to communicate and did not exit the residence."

During the standoff, authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding neighborhood.

Authorities eventually used a drone and a bomb-disposal robot equipped with a camera to see inside the home before sending SWAT units inside, where they "located a deceased adult male inside."

The man’s identity was not released, and the SCSO said it requested the Petaluma Police Department and the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office "lead an independent investigation into this incident."

The investigation into the killing and later standoff is ongoing.