Visalia fertilizer business owner shot and killed

Visalia, Calif.-The owner and general manager of a San Joaquin Valley fertilizer business was shot and killed Sunday, Aug. 29, in his office at a Visalia Mormon church where he served as bishop. The details of the shooting are not yet available, but Clay R. Sanner was in his office during a break in Sunday services when the shooter went in to talk to him and then shot him dead. Minutes later the shooter called police from his car, then engaged them in a shootout. He was wounded and is now in the hospital under guard. There is no indication of the shooter’s motivation. Visalia police say they’ve handed the investigation over to Tulare County sheriff’s deputies because of the police officer’s involvement. Sanner’s death has shocked and puzzled both the agriculture and religious communities, where he was highly respected by his associates. Sannar headed Soil Basics Corp., which began operations in 1995. According to the company’s website, the organization has been involved in some of the most exciting products in the agricultural chemical/nutrient industry, and has as its mission providing growers with technologically advanced solutions for improved plant health. A special notice was inserted in the website announcing Sannar’s death and plans for funeral services Sept. 3 in the LDS Stake Center in Visalia. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been set up with a local bank. His brother, Jared Sannar, who is also a Mormon bishop and is serving as family spokesman, told Green Markets in a brief call that he didn’t know of any connection between Clay Sannar, who had been a bishop for only a short time, and the shooter. He said that Soil Basics was not an enormous business, but a “good solid family operation.”