The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office released the identity of the victim of a shooting death in Cloverdale on Saturday as 60-year-old Ukiah resident Tiffiany Tyrrell.

“She was a light in the lives of everyone who knew her,” said a GoFundMe fundraiser started for Tyrrell by family members Eliza Grider and Karissa Stacy. “Losing Tiffiany so suddenly has left us struggling to process the pain while also facing the heavy burden of memorial and funeral expenses,” they wrote. 

Tyrrell was allegedly shot and killed by 56-year-old Lawrence Cassidy, who was later located at a residence in Santa Rosa, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a standoff with a Sonoma County SWAT team.

Cloverdale police officers and Sonoma County deputies responded to the initial call of a shooting in the 300 block of Cloverdale Heights, where they found Tyrrell suffering from gunshot injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene. 

After locating Cassidy at the Santa Rosa residence, the Santa Rosa Police Department secured the neighborhood and issued a shelter in place order while the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office led the response, which involved a bomb squad, hostage negotiators, and a SWAT team. 

Two people left the residence unharmed during the ensuing standoff, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. 

After hours of trying unsuccessfully to contact Cassidy, chemical agents were deployed, followed by a drone and bomb-defusing robot with cameras. Images from those devices indicated Cassidy was unresponsive in the residence, and the SWAT team went in and found him suffering from a fatal gunshot. 

The law enforcement response and Cassidy’s death were investigated by the Petaluma Police Department and Sonoma County District Attorney, in accordance with Sonoma County’s protocol when a death occurs during a law enforcement response.  

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate Tyrrell’s homicide, the Sheriff’s Office said. 

The Tyrrell fundraiser has a goal of raising $18,000 to cover memorial and related expenses and raised $16,941 as of Thursday afternoon.


This story was updated at 1:12 p.m. on Dec. 4 to reflect the corrected spelling of Tiffiany Tyrrell’s name as it appears in a Facebook page she created.