Man shot and killed by officers in Fresno. Police say he was on parole for sex crimes

A man was killed in an officer-involved shooting in southeast Fresno on Wednesday morning.

Police spokesman Jeff La Blue said officers were called to the area of Kings Canyon Road and South Jackson Avenue around 5 a.m. to assist a parole officer checking on a parolee who was tampering with an ankle monitor.

La Blue said the man, identified Thursday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as Frank Gonzales, 38, of Fresno, was a “known gang member” who had been convicted of raping a 12-year-old. Officers used a GPS device to find the monitor, which had been removed and was in a parking lot.

The officers searched for Gonzales to arrest him, and when they found him, he “presented a weapon,” described as a “small, hand-held tool,” and lunged toward one of the officers. Another officer discharged his firearm, and Gonzales died at the scene.

The police department, the Fresno City Attorney’s Office and the Office of Independent Review are investigating the incident. The officers who shot Gonzales have not been identified by police.

Kings Canyon between Maple and Cedar avenues was closed for several hours as part of the investigation.

This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 7:48 AM.