Man armed with a rifle in Walmart parking lot shot and killed by Clovis police

A man reported to be armed with a rifle was shot and killed by Clovis police officers early Sunday in a Walmart parking lot on Herndon Avenue.

The man was identified as Nikolas Frazier, 26, of Clovis.

Few details were available, but by Sunday afternoon the Police Department said it hoped to provide more at a news conference Tuesday.

Multiple officers responded at 1:37 a.m. to a call about a man in the lot with a rifle, Lt. Jim Munro said. Officers “confirmed that he was armed with a weapon that resembled a rifle,” according to the department, and during the contact the shooting occurred.

Frazier was given medical aid by officers and taken to a local hospital where he died.

No officers were injured in the first officer-involved shooting in Clovis since July 2016.

Clovis police detectives and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office are investigating. The parking lot was closed for several hours as the investigation continued.

Police officials said they expect to hold a news conference late Tuesday morning at which time they hope to share additional information, including body-camera footage. That briefing will be streamed live on the Clovis Police Department Facebook page — a time for it is still to be determined.

This story was originally published August 30, 2020 at 9:27 AM.