Update: Sheriff’s Office releases additional details of Highway 101 shooting

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office has released a detailed account of the officer-involved shooting that closed southbound Highway 101 in Paso Robles on Sept. 17, identifying the man killed as 44-year-old Randall Kelley and describing a roughly 40-minute sequence that began in a hotel parking lot and ended with gunfire on the freeway shoulder.

Kelley, who had no known address but previously lived in San Miguel, was pronounced dead at the scene south of Niblick Road after he exited his crashed vehicle and pointed what deputies believed was a handgun at officers, according to the Sheriff's Office. The weapon was later identified as a Crosman SNR357.177-caliber pellet/BB gun. No law enforcement personnel were injured.

The Paso Robles Daily News first reported the freeway closure and standoff on Thursday and published the Sheriff's Office's fuller statement the morning of Saturday, Sept. 19.

How the Encounter Began

According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies from the agency's North Station spotted Kelley's vehicle shortly after 8 a.m. on Sept. 17 in the Hampton Inn parking lot in the 200 block of Alexa Court in Paso Robles, using an Automatic License Plate Recognition system to locate the car.

Deputies knew Kelley and were aware he had an active no-bail felony warrant for carrying a loaded firearm, possession of narcotics while armed with a firearm, and stalking. He also had an active $15,000 misdemeanor warrant for violating a domestic violence restraining order. Both warrants were issued in September 2026, according to the Sheriff's Office, and the agency said Kelley had previously told family members that he wanted to commit suicide by cop.

When deputies tried to take him into custody, Kelley's vehicle struck a Sheriff's Office patrol car and fled. Deputies pursued him northbound onto Highway 101. The vehicle exited the freeway in San Miguel, then turned around and began traveling southbound. Deputies terminated the pursuit because of public safety concerns, officials said.

Shortly afterward, Kelley crashed on southbound Highway 101 south of Niblick Road. The collision and subsequent standoff forced the closure of the southbound freeway through Paso Robles during the Thursday morning commute, snarling traffic through the city's main corridor.

The Standoff and Shooting

After the crash, Kelley refused to comply with repeated commands and remained inside his vehicle. A member of the Sheriff's Office Crisis Negotiation Team made multiple attempts to reach him by cell phone, and a drone operated by a Sheriff's Office drone team was placed on the hood of Kelley's vehicle to give officers a view of the interior.

After about 20 minutes of commands, Kelley exited the vehicle and immediately pointed the handgun at members of the Sheriff's Office and the Paso Robles Police Department, according to the Sheriff's Office, prompting the officer-involved shooting.

Officers then developed a tactical approach to Kelley to secure the scene and provide medical attention, officials said. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Sheriff's Office said a still image from the drone shows Kelley gripping the weapon with his finger on the trigger immediately before exiting the vehicle, and still images from in-car camera systems taken immediately before the shooting show him pointing the weapon at law enforcement.

A Recent History of Arrests

The Sheriff's Office's statement traced a months-long history of contact between Kelley and North Station deputies. He was arrested in December 2025 and again in January 2026 for violating a domestic violence restraining order. In February 2026, he was arrested for stalking, possession of a loaded firearm, and possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm — the same allegations underlying the September no-bail felony warrant.

What Happens Next

In accordance with department policy, the involved law enforcement personnel have been placed on paid administrative leave and are receiving support services. The investigation remains ongoing, and the Sheriff's Office said there is no threat to the public.

For Paso Robles residents, the incident is a stark reminder of how quickly violence can reach the region's busiest transportation artery. Highway 101 is the city's commercial spine, and closures there — as many locals experienced during Thursday morning's standoff — ripple quickly through Niblick Road, Spring Street, and downtown as drivers are forced onto surface streets.

Officer-involved shootings in San Luis Obispo County are typically reviewed by the County District Attorney's Office once the Sheriff's Office completes its investigation, a process that in past cases has taken months. The Sheriff's Office did not say in its statement when additional details, such as the identities of the involved officers or the number of rounds fired, would be released, noting only that no further information was available at the time of the statement.

Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office Detective Division at (805) 781-4500.

805.life will continue to follow this story as the investigation develops.