Man calls Fresno police to say he killed his mom, then is shot by officers while holding knife
A man who called 911 to report a murder, eventually admitting he stabbed his mother, was shot multiple times by four officers after he advanced on them while armed with a kitchen knife, a Fresno Police official said late Saturday night.
The man, later identified as Miguel Carranza, 22, who was living with his mom and her sister, was in custody and expected to survive, Deputy Chief Pat Farmer said in a news conference around 10 p.m., more than five hours after the officer-involved shooting outside a home at Balch and Cedar avenues.
The woman pronounced dead inside the home was identified Monday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as Delia Carranza Sandoval, 56, of Fresno.
Police said Saturday there was no immediate indication if an argument led up to the incident. Officers responded, arriving in about six minutes, Farmer said, after the 911 call came in at 4:38 p.m. The caller told a dispatcher that someone had been murdered there, then as the conversation continued said he had stabbed his mother.
Officers arrived and blocked off the area, also calling in a crisis negotiator and two mental-health workers. An hourlong negotiation for a peaceful surrender began, Farmer said, but ultimately was unsuccessful.
The man would periodically come outside on the front porch, only to return inside. He indicated he had a knife, Farmer said, and ”advised dispatch not only that he killed his mother but that he was also suicidal.”
After about an hour, Farmer said, the man came out again, covered in blood and armed with a kitchen knife about 6 to 7 inches long. He was given “numerous commands” to drop the weapon and surrender, but “the male adult ignored these commands and advanced toward the officers who were behind their patrol cars in the street.”
An officer fired two bean-bag projectiles, with at least one hitting the man, Farmer said, but the man continued to move toward the officers.
When he was within a few feet, Farmer said, “four of our officers fired upon the suspect.” Three of the officers were armed with handguns; the other had a rifle.
A total of eight rounds appeared to have been fired, Farmer said. Two of those involved in the shooting are veteran sergeants with 15 to 17 years on the job, according to Farmer, while the other two have been on the force about three years each.
The man fell on to a grassy area and officers moved in, kicked the knife away and begin rendering first aid. Paramedics were called and the man was taken to Community Regional Medical Center where he was in stable but guarded condition.
Officers went inside and found Delia Carranza Sandoval non-responsive in the home’s entryway. Paramedics came in and declared her dead.
A lengthy investigation on multiple fronts was underway and still hours away from being finished as of 10 p.m.. The department’s homicide and officer-involved shooting teams were deployed, as well as the city’s civil liability and independent police auditor and representatives of the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
The intersection of Balch and Cedar probably would remain blocked off past midnight, Farmer said. Interviews were being conducted with primary witnesses, but there was heavy pedestrian traffic in the area at the time and those people also were being questioned about what they saw or heard.
Officers also were knocking on doors of nearby residences and attempting to collect any surveillance or other video that might be available.
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 7:23 PM.
