He was firing a gun at a Fresno mall when he walked up on a police officer

Fresno police say a highly dangerous situation ended peacefully Monday in central Fresno when a man firing a gun rounded a corner and walked up on a police officer.

Sgt. James Fowler reported the incident occurred about noon at the Sears store near Blackstone and Fedora avenues. The officer was at the west side of the store, where he was investigating a shoplifting incident. Just then, police received reports that shots were being fired in the area.

Suddenly, the officer saw a man holding a handgun round the corner of the store, just a few yards away. The officer ordered the man to drop the weapon and the suspect obeyed the commands.

The handgun was reportedly a stolen Ruger. The man carrying it, who appeared to be at least partially incoherent, was taken into custody on weapons charges.

Fowler said the officer demonstrated great restraint in defusing the dangerous situation.

This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 1:19 PM.