Police shoot man after he stabs Fresno store clerk, uses pepper spray on cops, chief says
Fresno police shot a man they said stabbed a store clerk Thursday before becoming aggressive with officers, according to police Chief Paco Balderrama.
A stabbing was reported after midnight when a gas station clerk asked a man to leave the property near Bullard Avenue and Figarden Drive, Balderrama said.
The man, who was described as about 44 and unhoused, stabbed the clerk in the back multiple times inside the store, police said. He then left the scene.
Balderrama said officers were able to track the man, who headed north and then east, using a police helicopter. He was approached by police about a block away.
Five officers encountered the man before giving commands to him, police said. The man sprayed at least two officers with pepper spray.
The man then moved aggressively while holding a knife, according to Balderrama, towards officers before two fired an unidentified number of rounds.
One of the officers had about four years with Fresno police while the other had about 11 months, Balderrama said. Both will be placed on administrative leave, which is typical.
“I think the most important thing here is that they were OK,” Balderrama said. “They were not seriously injured.”
The man was determined to be wielding a 4-inch fixed-blade knife, which Balderrama said was illegal. The man was also carrying three other knives, he said.
The man was transported to Community Regional Medical Center and into surgery, he said. He was in stable condition Thursday morning.
Balderrama said the man had a criminal history that included domestic violence and was believed to suffer from mental illness.
The store clerk was also transported to an area hospital for serious injuries, police said. He was taken back into surgery on Thursday, Balderrama said in an update about 10:30 a.m.
“We hope he makes it,” Balderrama said.
The officers were treated for injuries but not transported to the hospital, according to Balderrama.
The incident was caught on police body-worn cameras and a helicopter video, police said.
The shooting marked the fifth officer-involved shooting so far this year, according to archives. Two of those have been fatal.
There were six shootings by Fresno police at the same time last year, and three at the same time in 2021, police said.
This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 7:01 AM.
