A man is dead after firing at police during a tense standoff in Visalia

A tense two-hour standoff Thursday in Visalia ended with a police officer firing a deadly shot at a suspect who police revealed has a violent history.

Abiel Innis De Joel Rios, 33, was struck by a single shot after firing at police and exiting a residence with a shotgun pointed toward officers, according to a news release from the Visalia Police Department.

Rios was taken to a local hospital where he later died from the wound.

Police said Rios fired a shotgun round at officers during the standoff after police threw “chemical agents” at him. An officer responded by firing back at Rios.

Rios had been holed up in a house in the 200 block of Northeast Fourth Street, near Oval Park, where officers were responding around 2 p.m. to a family disturbance involving an assault with a deadly weapon.

Police said Rios fired a shotgun at his brother prior to officers arriving at the scene. The brother, 34, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg.

Rios retreated into the home as police arrived and refused to come out. Police including SWAT officers began negotiating with him.

According to Police Chief Jason Salazar, the suspected shooter was visible several times with either a shotgun or a knife, possibly a machete, before retreating again into the house.

Officers then used chemical agentsin an attempt to get Rios to come out of the home; that may have led Rios to shoot once at officers through a window, Salazar said.

Officers were not injured during the standoff. The shooter’s brother was treated for his injury and released at the scene; his name was not released.

Salazar told news media that Rios has a history of violence toward his family. He had been involved in a dispute with the family on Wednesday; it was not reported to police.

Salazar said the man also has an arrest warrant from a Sept. 28 incident where he threatened family members and fled before police arrived.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an investigation into the shooting death.

This story was originally published January 3, 2019 at 8:29 PM.