FILLMORE : Man Changes Story, Admits Shooting Self

A Salinas man who said he was shot during a highway robbery near Fillmore has changed his story and admitted to accidentally firing the gun himself because he thought he was under attack.

Erich Edward Morris, 46, originally told Ventura County sheriff’s deputies he was driving west on California 126 last Wednesday night when someone shot out his car’s rear tire.

He said three men then stole $15,000 from him and shot him in the chest.

Morris, who was listed in good condition at Santa Paula Hospital on Tuesday, later told deputies that he did not have $15,000 with him and made up the account because he was not sure what to tell his family or police.

In reality, Morris said he shot himself as he fumbled for his holstered .22-caliber pistol while driving north on Interstate 5.

Morris said he heard his rear tire blow, thought he was under attack and reached for his gun to protect himself, said Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Husband.

After stopping near a trailer park where he passed out, Morris awoke and drove west on California 126 to Fillmore, where he pulled into the parking lot of a doughnut shop.

A truck driver found Morris passed out inside his car about 4 a.m. and called authorities.

Morris, who owns a produce company in Salinas, told deputies he had driven to the San Fernando Valley the day of the shooting to collect an old debt of $15,000.

But the person never showed up, and Morris went to a bar where he drank heavily.

Husband said detectives were suspicious of Morris’ account from the beginning.

“The physical evidence didn’t support what he was saying,” he said, referring to the trajectory of the bullet and a lack of broken glass along the highway.

Detectives also wondered why the alleged robbers did not take $50 to $60 sitting in plain view inside the car.

The district attorney’s office will review the case to decide whether Morris should be charged with filing a false police report, Husband said.