Man killed by Fresno police might have been unarmed, California Attorney General says
California investigators will look into the killing of a man by Fresno police over the weekend, saying the man appears to have been unarmed when he was shot.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta said in an announcement Monday that the Department of Justice would review the fatal encounter and provide an independent review under Assembly Bill 1506.
“Although there was reportedly an exchange of gunfire, preliminary investigation indicates that the decedent was not in possession of a deadly weapon at the time of the fatal shooting,” the announcement said.
The Fresno Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Mayor Jerry Dyer issued a brief statement Monday afternoon.
“The independent investigation by the Department of Justice is welcomed and consistent with the recent passage of California law.
“We are very fortunate that an Officer was not killed in this incident after being shot by a violent offender,” Dyer continued. “Fortunately the bullet struck the officers vest. I look forward to the outcome of independent DOJ investigation.”
At the scene Saturday, Deputy Chief Mindy Casto told reporters that the man had fired at police and an officer was spared of any significant injury because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
The man, who has not been identified, was familiar to police and had been arrested more than 20 times, she said. He attempted to escape a traffic stop about 5 p.m. Saturday before an exchange of gunfire, she said.
Police said two officers fired their service weapons at the man. One officer has been on the force for four years and the other for six.
Officers did not initially chase after the suspect, Casto said, but tracked him from the air via a helicopter and monitored him driving recklessly, speeding, cutting off other vehicles and running red lights.
Police said they used patrol cruisers to strike the suspect’s car, which spun out of control near Herndon and Ingram avenues.
It was not immediately known how many shots were fired, police said.
“There’s evidence that the gun was fired; that (it) was in the suspect’s possession,” Casto said Saturday. “There’s also evidence that the officer was actually struck by gunfire in his ballistic vest.
“However, because it is early in the investigation ... we’re still looking to confirm.”
Bonta’s announcement appears to contradict that statement. It was not immediately clear if the man had a gun in his hand when he was shot. Police cruisers had bullet holes in them and one officer was hit in his vest during the chase, according to police.
The man died at the scene, police said.
AB 1506 requires state investigators with DOJ to look into every police shooting of an unarmed person.
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This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 1:09 PM.
