Both deputies involved in Eisenhower shooting back at work
Two Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies who were involved in a fatal deputy-involved shooting at the Eisenhower Health campus in Rancho Mirage are back to work after being put on leave after the incident, according to Captain Jason Huskey of the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station.
Both deputies completed the department’s protocol which follows deputy-involved shootings.
Huskey also re-affirmed that man fatally shot, 63-year-old Stephen Kaylor of Indio, was armed with a gun at the time of the shooting.
Deputies responded to several calls of shots fired at the campus at 4:55 p.m. Monday, arrived minutes later, and shot Kaylor, who was reportedly shooting at two buildings on the Eisenhower Health Campus.
ORIGINAL STORY: Man killed in Eisenhower Health deputy-involved shooting
Emergency responders tried to render life-saving measures to save Kaylor, but he died at the scene a short time after the shooting.
No civilians or deputies were injured in the shooting.
Huskey talked with News Channel 3’s Lauren Coronado about how the department responds to active shooter situations.
“As soon as two or more deputies arrive they make the decision to create a rapid deployment team to enter the business and to isolate, locate and neutralize the suspect and contain it,” said Huskey.
Huskey says in previous years first arriving deputies would have waited for additional resources before approaching the suspect, but in 2002, after the Columbine shooting, the protocol changed.
“Time is usually on our side and when we’re waiting for additional resources it increases our opportunity to be successful. In an active shooter situation, because a shooter’s intent is to harm people, we have to react as quickly as possible,” Huskey said.
Huskey says the public can be a key partner in getting a handle on the situation.
“Tell us where the shooter is, a good description of the shooter, the type of weapon the shooter has and the location of any victims,” explained Huskey.
If you’re caught in a similar situation, Huskey advises people to evacuate safely. If evacuating id not possible, shelter in place and barricade any doors, windows or entrances and call police.
Anyone with information relating to this case is urged to contact Central Homicide Investigator Gomez at (951) 955-2777 or Investigator Hendry at (760) 836-1600.
Kaylor’s son said in a statement his father fell into depression after his knee surgery didn’t heal as he had hoped. He described his father as a “man of God, an active member of his church and in no way a violent person.”
Kaylor’s son issued the following statement to News Channel 3 on Tuesday.
My father was a man of God, an active member of his church and in no way a violent person. He had a knee replacement by Dr. Ghassan E. Boghosian from Eisenhower desert orthopedic center however there were complications with the follow up procedure. Dr .Boghosian knew he was on blood thinners and still drained his knee and in another dr option “hit a vein or something to cause internal bleeding in the knee due to the medication he was already on “. He complained to the Dr. Boghosian on multiple occasions of the pain and how he couldn’t walk or bend the knee anymore like he could after the first few weeks post surgery . However nothing was done to help him. Dr .Boghosian kept saying it would get better and to wait it out, But it never did. After ” waiting it out” my father lost his business and his livelihood . He owned a small contracting business however due to the doctors poor care he couldn’t work and the business went under. With no source of income and ability to care for himself it is my belief he fell into depression. The doctor in no way tried to help him and in my fathers words ” blew me off and showed no remorse”. Anyone who knew my father can attest to the type of man he was, a sweet gentle god fearing man. Doctors need to listen to their patients rather than thinking of them as another dollar sign. I know for a fact
My father didn’t go there to hurt anyone but was willing to pay the ultimate price to be heard.
Lee Rice, spokesperson for Eisenhower Health sent a statement to News Channel 3 in response to the Kaylor family statement:
Eisenhower Health is bound by the confidentiality and patient privacy requirements of HIPAA and California privacy laws and cannot provide information about any patient, living or deceased. Additionally, because of an ongoing criminal investigation we cannot make any further comment.
