Police have apprehended five individuals in connection with the discovery of six bodies, all fatally shot, in a desolate region of Southern California’s Mojave Desert.
The grim scene unfolded after a victim with gunshot wounds made a distress call to 911, prompting a police helicopter to investigate.
San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office investigators revealed on Monday that the conflict appears to be tied to illegal marijuana cultivation.
Identifying four of the victims so far, authorities disclosed that the bodies, all male, were located on January 23 near El Mirage, San Bernardino County.
The victims suffered fatal gunshot wounds, with four of them also sustaining severe burns, as mentioned by Sgt Michael Warrick in a press briefing.
The incident initiated with a 911 call reporting a gunshot wound, leading to the dispatch of a police helicopter that discovered the victims, along with a bullet-riddled SUV and minivan around 20:15 local time (04:15 GMT), approximately 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Aerial footage displayed the SUV, punctured by bullets and showing signs of a fire.
Sgt Warrick indicated, “As far as the motive, we are confident that this appears to be a dispute over marijuana.”
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, investigators found that the victims had arranged to meet for a marijuana transaction at the location.
The five arrested individuals allegedly arrived and, for reasons still under investigation, shot the six victims.
Eight confiscated guns are undergoing testing to determine if they were used in the killings.
Officials declined to comment on whether the incident was cartel or gang-related, attributing it to “organized crime” instead.
Despite the legalization of cannabis for adults in California since 2016, an illicit market persists for untaxed marijuana.
In the previous year, San Bernardino County law enforcement executed 411 search warrants for illegal marijuana operations, seizing 74,000 pounds (34,000 kg) of processed cannabis, according to the sheriff’s office.