Gunman making suicidal threats prompts heavy police response in northeast Fresno

Residents in a northeast Fresno neighborhood were alerted Saturday night to the sounds of police helicopters and multiple sirens, after officers responded to a report of a man with a shotgun making threats to kill himself.

Police said the 41-year-old man, whose name wasn’t released, was injured after apparently shooting himself in the hand, following a brief struggle with a family member over the shotgun.

Clovis police got the initial calls from a woman who said her husband was making suicidal threats, said Fresno police Lt. Steve Card. Police said the couple had been arguing previously during a trip to a Clovis store.

After Clovis police transferred the call to Fresno dispatchers, officers responded to the home in the 9200 block of North Mt. Vernon Drive around 8:45 p.m. Police asked neighborhood residents not to leave their homes. The family inside the home where the man lived was escorted out.

Card said a woman, who is a family member, stayed behind in the backyard of the home, attempting to get the man to drop the shotgun. Eventually one shot was fired, and the man ended up shooting himself in the hand. He will likely lose a thumb, Card said.

After the woman wrestled the gun away from the man, the weapon ended up in the family’s pool, Card said. Police went to the back of the home and took him into custody. The woman’s relationship to the man was not disclosed by police. His wife was among those who left the home, according to police.

The man is being treated at Community Regional Medical Center. and he will undergo a psychological evaluation after he’s released from the hospital. Alcohol is believed to have played a factor in the ordeal. Although a clear reason for the suicidal threats was not determined, Card said the man “was making comments about certain pressures he was experiencing that drove him to this behavior.” It’s unclear whether he will face charges for discharging the weapon.

Other weapons believed to be owned by the man could be seized by police, to remove further threats from the home, Card said. Air support from the California Highway Patrol and the Fresno Police Department was used to assist in the investigation.

This story was originally published January 27, 2018 at 11:44 PM with the headline "Gunman making suicidal threats prompts heavy police response in northeast Fresno."