Man shot by Fresno officers was not armed, police say. He did have this in his hand
Fresno police officers believed a man had a gun when they shot him early Tuesday morning in northeast Fresno.
It later was discovered to be a cellphone in his hand, Chief Andy Hall said in a statement released Thursday.
The shooting took place around 12:30 a.m. near Blackstone and Barstow avenues, where a driver called police to report that a bicyclist threatened him with a handgun.
Video released by Fresno police Thursday appears to show the man — identified as 35-year-old Anthony Coronado — running on to the roadway and pointing an object at the passenger window toward the driver, who swerved around him.
An officer arrived at the scene and told Coronado to show his hands. That officer believed that the man had a gun in his right hand, Hall said. Coronado continued to walk eastbound on Barstow.
The officer followed Coronado while back-up officers arrive. Other officers told Coronado to stop, drop his weapon and get on the ground.
While raising his right arm and still holding the object, Coronado walked toward officers.
Officers then fired shots, fearing for their safety after Coronado didn’t drop the object and get on the ground, Hall said.
Coronado was hit once in the right arm and twice in the lower body. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
Police later learned the dark object in Coronado’s hand was a cellphone.
According to Hall, Coronado told officers at the hospital that he wanted to die.
Coronado was released from the hospital Wednesday, and cited for resisting and delaying officers.
Hall said the officers who fired shots have been placed on administrative duties for the duration of the criminal investigation, which will be conducted by the Fresno Police Department and reviewed by the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, the city’s Office of Independent Review, the police Internal Affairs Unit and state and federal agencies.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 7:14 PM.
