Tragedy at Oak Tree Gun Club: The Incident Hits Closer to Simi Valley Than Anyone Expected

(CLAIR | Santa Clarita, CA) — An incident reported at a Santa Clarita Valley shooting range Tuesday afternoon carries a weight that extends far beyond the call log — and lands with particular force in Simi Valley and in the communities across the hills.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials responded to Oak Tree Gun Club in Newhall shortly after 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, following a report at the facility. L.A. County Fire Department paramedics were dispatched at 3:02 p.m., arrived at 3:11 p.m., and had cleared the scene by 3:30 p.m. LASD deputies remained on site conducting an investigation. The case is expected to be transferred to Homicide Bureau detectives — standard protocol for cases of this kind, not an indication of foul play.

What makes this incident different from a routine breaking news report is who manages the club where it happened, and who relies on it.

Oak Tree is not simply a public shooting range. Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies throughout the region train at the facility. The Simi Valley Police Foundation has used Oak Tree as the venue for its annual “Clays for K-9s” trap shoot — an event that draws officers, community members, and first-time shooters together to raise funds for K-9 units serving the Simi Valley Police Department. The connection between this range and Simi Valley law enforcement runs deep, built over years of shared purpose and community investment.

The club is managed by Betsy James, part of the family that took over Oak Tree in 2000 and rebuilt it into what it is today. For years, James has made suicide prevention a centerpiece of her work — not as a side project, but as a core part of how she operates the range. She has worked alongside the Santa Clarita Valley Suicide Prevention, Postvention and Wellness Committee, hosting the committee’s harm-reduction subcommittee at her club. The work she has done places her among a small but serious group of firearms industry professionals who have chosen to treat mental health crisis as their responsibility, not someone else’s.

James was not available for comment Tuesday.

The programs she built reflect an understanding of a difficult reality. Gun ranges, by their nature, attract people at every point in their lives — including some at the worst moments. James responded to that reality with action. She implemented a screening protocol at the range designed to identify anyone who may be in crisis before they access the shooting area. She also created a voluntary firearms storage service, giving individuals the option to surrender their guns temporarily when they or someone close to them has concerns about safety at home or in a moment of vulnerability.

California law requires licensed firearms dealers and ranges to post suicide prevention warnings on their premises. Some municipalities have gone further, requiring staff training and mental health questions in rental agreements. James did not wait for a mandate. She built the program herself.

That history makes Tuesday’s events something hard to hold. A community lost someone at a place where the manager has spent years trying to ensure that would not happen. The grief in that fact is real, and it belongs to everyone who has watched this work unfold — on both sides of the Santa Susana Mountains.

The investigation remains active. Homicide Bureau detectives are expected to take over from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station as the case moves forward. Full details remain limited, and LASD has not released additional information beyond what was confirmed on background.

Readers who want to connect with local resources can visit BeTheDifferenceSCV.org. If you or someone you know is in crisis, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text, twenty-four hours a day.

This is a developing story. Additional details will be published as they become available.