Man killed in officer-involved shooting was mentally disturbed
A mentally disturbed man who allegedly assaulted a deputy and lunged at two others while armed was shot and killed Thursday morning in Moreno Valley.
The officer-involved shooting happened around 6 a.m. near the intersection of Perris and Sunnymead boulevards, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s
Department.
Deputies said the deadly chain of events began with an alleged assault at an apartment complex in the 25000 block of Fir Avenue. The sheriff’s department was called to the scene to investigate complaints that a man had struck a juvenile relative.
Deputy Michael Vasquez said they learned the suspect had an undisclosed mental illness and they tried to talk to him inside his bedroom, but he turned violent, attacking one of the deputies with a “large metal hand tool”, inflicting serious injuries.
The suspect, whose name wasn’t immediately released, leapt from a second-story window and disappeared from sight, Vasquez said. The injured deputy was transported to Riverside County Regional Medical Center for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Vasquez.
Three hours later, witnesses called 911 to report an attempted robbery and assault in the vicinity of Perris Boulevard and Webster Avenue. Vasquez said deputies arrived moments later and found a man with a non-life-threatening stab wound. The victim described his assailant — who turned out to be the same man involved in the earlier confrontation with deputies,
according to Vasquez.
A few minutes later, the suspect was located walking near Perris and Sunnymead.
“Deputies contacted the suspect,” Vasquez said. “During the contact, the (deputies) pleaded with the suspect to surrender and drop the weapon in his hand. The suspect refused to drop the weapon and advanced on the deputies,” prompting the lawmen to open fire.
Before shooting, the deputies deployed a Taser to subdue the man, but it had no effect, according to Vasquez.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. He was armed with a knife and an unspecified “hand tool,” according to Vasquez.
The deputies involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.
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