Coroner IDs Novato Man Allegedly Killed By Roomate

NOVATO, CA — A Novato man killed Friday during an alleged dispute with his roommate has been identified as 47-year-old Ray Allen Mays, according to the Marin County Coroner's Office.

Mays was found unconscious and unresponsive on the back porch of a home at 49 Martin Drive at about 4:30 p.m. by Novato police officers who were there to investigate reports of gunfire.

Mays appeared to have been shot, along with a dog that was found dead by his side, according to police.

Coroner's Office officials said Monday that paramedics determined he was also in cardiopulmonary arrest at the time.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and an official cause of death is still under investigation.

His roommate, 65-year-old Paul Dwight, was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of murder and animal cruelty, according to police, who also said a gun was found in the home.

Dwight is being held without bail, according to jail records.

Another roommate, whose name wasn't released, was arrested and booked on suspicion of obstructing and delaying a police investigation, police said.

The police response to 911 calls about gunfire at the house resulted in street closures and a shelter-in-place order for part of the neighborhood.

Anyone with information is asked to call Novato police investigators at (415) 897-1122.

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