SOMERSET, CA. (THECOUNT) — Deputy Brian Ishmael has been identified as the Northern California sheriff’s deputy shot to death while responding to a call in the rural Sierra Nevada foothills, according to reports.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office says Deputy Ishmael was fatally shot early Wednesday in the community of Somerset and a that ride-along passenger with him was injured.

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We reported this morning that a large law enforcement presence in one El Dorado County neighborhood responding to reports of an active shooter. We now know officer Ishmael was the victim.

The scene is in the area of Sand Ridge Drive at Mt. Autumn Road. Deputies reportedly responded to a call for service and were shot at by an unknown number of people. Several people are in custody and deputies are searching for additional suspects, according to an El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office statement, reports Sacramento.

People are being urged to avoid the area.

Nearby residents are urged to call 911 if they spot suspicious activity.

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Geo quick facts: El Dorado County, officially the County of El Dorado, is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 181,058. The county seat is Placerville. El Dorado County is part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area – Wikipedia.