Man shot to death by Fresno police in backyard incident identified by coroner’s office
Fresno police fatally shot a man who raised a gun as officers walked toward him Sunday night, Deputy Chief Michael Reid said.
He was identified Monday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as Gerald Johnson, 55, of Fresno.
It started around 7:25 p.m. at a family gathering in the 2900 block of East Gilbert Avenue, just east of Highway 41 and just north of Ventura Avenue.
Police received 911 calls that the man was possibly high on PCP and tried to hit his nephew with a shovel.
When officers arrived, the suspect retreated to the backyard, where he climbed into an inoperable car.
Reid said police spent a little more than two hours trying to coax the Johnson to come out of the car and surrender. Officers said they saw what appeared to be a gun in the man’s hand during the negotiations.
Johnson then suddenly stopped communicating with the department’s crisis negotiator, prompting three officers to approach the vehicle.
Reid said that’s when police saw what appeared to be a gun in the suspect’s hand and opened fire.
“When this person was not responding to the officers, officers approached, saw the man raise the weapon,” Reid said. “Three officers discharged their firearms, fearing for their life.”
Johnson was rushed to Community Regional Community Medical Center but died.
Reid said the gun Johnson was holding “is very similar to something that might be a pellet gun or a bb gun. But again, officers don’t know. It looks very realistic. And when that is pointed at officers, obviously, they think it’s a firearm.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
The officers involved in the shooting have between five to 15 years of police service, Reid said.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 1:55 AM.
