Man with a knife shot after attacking Central Valley police officers after domestic incident
A Pinedale man who was armed with a knife and allegedly attacked a police officer Saturday night in Lemoore was shot five times by the officer’s partner, according to the Lemoore Police Department.
In a statement released Sunday, Lemoore police officials said 21-year-old Zhondon Michaels McDaniel attacked a police officer with a knife at a home in the 400 block of Kenwood Drive around 7:30 pm.
Police were called to the home to investigate a disturbance that involved a man and woman screaming inside the home.
Officers heard yelling from inside the home and noticed a window had been punched out. A woman opened the door just before McDaniel rushed out, charged at a police officer and knocked him to the ground, according to the department. That’s when a second police officer noticed McDaniel had a knife and fired five rounds that all struck McDaniel.
McDaniel was in critical condition at an area hospital. The officers were not injured.
Lemoore police Sgt. Matthew Smith said the officers were wearing body cameras. The department’s chief told reporters during a news conference that he had reviewed the video but it would not yet be released since it will be used for the investigation.
The Kings County Critical Incident Team is investigating.
The names of the officers were not released. They had not been interviewed about the incident as of Sunday afternoon. Smith said the officers were placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, a standard practice in officer-involved shootings.
The last time a Lemoore police officer discharged a weapon was about two years ago, according to Smith.
The department is still reeling from the death of an officer who was killed last weekend in another domestic violence situation in Hanford.
According to Smith, the chief lamented the loss and said the department is lucky “we are not attending another officer’s funeral for this department.”
Lemoore police last contacted McDaniel two years ago as a witness in a criminal investigation. He has no prior criminal record with the department, according to Smith.
This story was originally published November 10, 2019 at 10:28 AM.
