Cousin jailed in Olivehurst shooting death

An Olivehurst man was arrested Wednesday night after his cousin died earlier in the evening from a gunshot wound, according to the Yuba County Sheriff's Department.

At about 5:45 p.m., the department received a call about a man, identified as Michael Wayne Callison, 35, of Olivehurst, being shot in the 4200 block of Rose Avenue, about 50 yards south of McGowan Parkway.

Sheriff's Department Capt. Ron Johnson said deputies found Callison with an upper-body wound from a low-caliber rifle.

Johnson said the investigation suggests Callison and his cousin, 39-year-old Bryan Lee Benningfield, were cleaning out a shed on the property when a rifle discharged and struck Callison.

Benningfield was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and being a felon in posession of a firearm.

Deputies initially closed much of the road to through traffic, and Callison was taken away by Bi-County Ambulance, about 30 minutes after the initial call, to Rideout Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Shortly before the ambulance left, a man who had arrived at the house began wailing loudly after speaking with officers, saying, "My brother! My brother!" He followed the ambulance in another vehicle, as did several other people.

Another man who left with a deputy in a department vehicle had the front of his shirt covered in blood.

Neighbors reported hearing a loud noise, followed by sirens and barking dogs, but were unsure of what had happened.

In addition to the Sheriff's Department, responders from Wheatland Fire Department, Olivehurst Fire and the Yuba College police departments came to the scene. The road was reopened to traffic shortly after the ambulance left.

A woman who said she had lived for 40 years next door to the home where the shooting happened said she liked the people who lived there.

"My husband passed away in November, and they've bent over backwards to help," Vickey London said.

CONTACT Ben van der Meer at bvandermeer@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4786. Find him on Facebook at /ADbvandermeer or on Twitter at @ADbvandermeer.