Full Notification

Yesterday (4/2), Novato Police responded to a call for service involving a neighbor dispute in the Olive Avenue neighborhood. The victim reported that their neighbor, identified as 64-year-old Douglas Shannon of Novato, threatened to shoot the victim during a disagreement over access to a parking space. Additionally, Shannon made threats to notify government authorities that the victim was in the US illegally, which was an assumption based upon the victim’s race.
 
At the conclusion of the investigation, Shannon was arrested for committing a hate crime and was safely taken into custody. Officers learned there was a legally owned and registered firearm inside Shannon’s residence. The firearm was surrendered by Shannon. The firearm was not used during this incident and was taken to ensure the safety of the involved parties. Officers later obtained an court order, more commonly known as a Gun Violence Restraining Order, to prohibit Shannon from possessing firearms temporarily as a result of this incident. Shannon was transported and booked at Marin County Jail.
 
We would like to thank our community members for promptly reporting crimes like these. At the Novato Police Department, we work in partnership with our community to stand up against all forms of hate expression, hate crimes and to prevent violence.
 
Members of our community can report hate crimes in an emergency by calling 9-1-1 or in a non-emergency situation by contacting our Dispatch center directly at 415-897-1122.
 
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Novato Police Department and reference case #24-1040.
 
To report hate incidents online, visit: novato.org/hateincident