FBI is investigating a 2024 shooting that caused $200k in damage to a San Diego-area electrical substation
A search warrant filed on Dec. 10 describes the shooting, which was never publicly disclosed, and two San Diego County residents listed as suspects
Two years ago, there was a shooting that caused $200,000 in damage to an electrical substation in Ocotillo Wells, a popular spot for dirtbiking and other offroading at the border between San Diego and Imperial counties, court documents show.
Imperial Irrigation District, which oversees the substation, posted on social media about the outage:
But IID never publicly announced the fact that it was caused by gunfire.
“To avoid any interference with law enforcement’s investigation, we did not mention the cause of the outage/damage,” said an email from IID spokesperson Robert D. Schettler in response to a few questions I sent. “Our immediate response to any power outage is to restore power service as quickly as possible.”
Schettler added that IID is “working with law enforcement and support their efforts to determine, and prosecute, those who are responsible,” but cannot comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
The FBI is investigating the potential federal crimes of destruction of an energy facility and conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, according to a Dec. 10 search warrant for the Apple account belonging to one of two San Diego County residents named as suspects. Penalties can include up to 20 years in prison.
The Ocotillo Wells substation is one of the latest in a growing number of substations across the country that have been targeted in bombings, shootings or other acts of vandalism, raising concerns about the security of the nation’s power grid.
The search warrant, filed in San Diego, is mostly seeking communications between the two suspects and any other files that place them near the substation at the time of the shooting.
IID employees began investigating when they learned the substation had lost power, according to the warrant.
“IID personnel noticed unnatural holes, resembling bullet holes, in the transformer and fire suppression system, located approximately 10 feet above ground,” the warrant says. They also found “several empty rifle casings and one live 7.62mm-caliber rifle round.”
And there was an envelope addressed to one of the suspects, Robert Skyler Harry. The warrant alleges that Harry’s phone number was pinged near the substation at the time shots were fired, based on cell phone data acquired by federal agents. The other suspect is named in the warrant only as Jorgensen from Escondido, California.
The outage affected 250 customers and lasted about 8-12 hours, the warrant says.
There were also fresh ATV tracks near the substation, according to the warrant, and they “were the only tracks in the area following the shooting and rain.” Harry and Jorgensen both owned offroad vehicles.
In May 2025, federal agents got a search warrant for Harry’s San Diego County residence. But Harry had surrendered his firearms to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office to comply with his pretrial release in an entirely separate case in which he allegedly “threatened a delivery driver and brandished a firearm” one month earlier, according to the warrant. (Probably not by coincidence, Harry wrote in a 5-star Google Maps review posted at that time that Sonya at Aladdin Bail Bonds in Vista was “very helpful”.) But records showed that he did have firearms that fired the same type of ammo found at the substation, the warrant alleges.
The warrant mentions a law enforcement interview with Harry in which he was read his Miranda rights and questioned about the night of the shooting. But as of now it does not appear that charges have been filed against Harry or Jorgensen, based on a search of federal court records.
“Harry stated to agents that he did not recall being out near the Ocotillo Wells Substation on January 28, 2024, given that it was so long ago,” the warrant says.
Jorgensen was also Mirandized and questioned: “Jorgensen acknowledged that he was in the Ocotillo Wells area on January 28, 2024, together with Harry.” He added that he “would have been sleeping” during the approximate time of the shooting.
Executing a search warrant at his home, agents seized a firearm and one black PMAG magazine with 7.62x51 ammunition, which is “the exact caliber of ammunition seized from the Substation shooting scene,” the warrant says.
Last June, agents searched Harry’s phone.
“There were several images and videos captured around the January 28 offense date that displayed firearms,” alleges the warrant, including rifles that appear to chamber 7.62mm ammunition. There were also “images of Jorgensen shooting a rifle near railroad tracks believed to be in Ocotillo Wells, and screenshots of social media posts about the January 28 substation power outage.”
Harry and Jorgensen did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An FBI spokesperson declined comment.
[updated the subhead and body Dec. 17, 2025, following a response from IID]