Two people are dead following a shooting in Joshua Tree Monday night. According to a Sheriff’s report, deputies were called at 8:14 p.m. by a man who was on the phone with Ronda Ebeling, who said she was meeting an ex-boyfriend named Ray Wyatt in a remote location. The male caller was concerned because he could hear Ebeling screaming and Wyatt making statements that he had a gun. When deputies arrived at the dirt field near Yucca Trail and La Contenta Road on the border of Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree, they saw Ebeling, 23, and Wyatt, 58, both of Joshua Tree, standing outside a vehicle. As the deputy attempted to contact them, Wyatt shot Ebeling in the upper body. A deputy then fired at Wyatt, who fled on foot. Additional deputies arrived and searched for Wyatt. When Wyatt was located near a bush, a deputy fired at Ray Wyatt, killing him. Ronda Ebeling was taken to a local hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds, but she died about 9:35 p.m. The Sheriff’s Department Homicide detail has taken over the investigation.
