Fresno officer shoots man who reached for a gun in his waistband, police say
A Fresno police officer shot and wounded a 28-year-old man who was suspected of pointing a gun at another person outside of a convenience store Saturday night, Deputy Chief Michael Reid said.
The shooting happened around 8:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the Super 7 mini mart on the southwest corner of Belmont and Maple avenues, just south of the Highway 180/168 interchange.
Evidence markers dotted the parking lot on the side of the store.
Reid said officers received a 911 call from a witness who observed a white male wearing a white tank top point a gun at another person.
By the time officers arrived, the man had removed his tank top but a black item could be seen in his waistband.
As the two officers approached, they “could see clearly that there was a gun in his waistband,” Reid said.
The deputy chief said the officers ordered the man to keep his hands away from his body but instead the man put his right hand and left hand on the gun, prompting police to shoot him one time.
“Officers fearing for their life discharged their firearms,” Reid said. “They told him not to touch the gun repeatedly.”
Reid clarified that only one of the two officers fired based on early indications of the police investigation.
The man was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he was in stable condition, according to Reid. It was not immediately known where the man was wounded.
Officers were not harmed in the shooting.
A few patrons were inside the mini mart at the time of the shooting and also were not injured.
“If the suspect would’ve followed our direction,” Reid said, “it would’ve been a different outcome.”
This story was originally published September 19, 2020 at 11:33 PM.
