D.A. Finds Junk Dealer Shot in Self-Defense

The Ventura County district attorney’s office has found that a junk dealer acted in self-defense last month when he fatally shot two San Fernando Valley men during a financial dispute at his business outside Moorpark, authorities said Wednesday.

Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Carol J. Nelson said no charges will be filed against Edwin Jay Olin, 47, of Thousand Oaks, who was arrested Sept. 13 on suspicion of murder.

“We went to the scene, we talked to the witnesses and it appears Mr. Olin honestly thought he needed to shoot in order to defend himself and his wife,” Nelson said.

Victims David Martin Enslow, 56, of San Fernando and William Schaible, 35, of North Hollywood were among five men who went to Olin’s junkyard off Stockton Road to collect what they claimed were unpaid debts.

Nelson said their argument had stretched over four hours when the shooting occurred around 9:55 p.m. She said that according to witnesses, Enslow approached Olin with a baseball bat, and Schaible came toward him with a flashlight. Both were shot in the upper body with a 12-gauge shotgun within five feet of Olin, she said.

The dispute involved an estimated $1,200, she said.

Susan Olson, the public defender who represented Olin, said he told her: “It was a tragedy for everyone concerned.”