A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man in Jurupa Valley on Monday, June 22. The sheriff’s department said the man swung a hammer as he ran toward the deputy and ignored a command to drop it.
The shooting came as deputies were responding at about 4:20 a.m. to a report of a woman screaming in the 6000 block of Collins Street, a residential block just east of Van Buren Boulevard.
The deputy arrived to find the man in the street with a hammer. The man then moved toward the deputy while swinging the hammer, sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Martinez said in a press release. The deputy fired when the man continued running despite being told to drop the hammer, Martinez said.
After deputies and paramedics provided first aid, the man was transported to a hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead there.
The name of the deputy will not be released for now, Martinez said without giving a reason. He said the deputy has been placed on administrative leave under department policy. The name of the man who was killed was not released immediately, and it was unclear whether his family had been notified.
Deputies searched but never found a woman who may have been screaming, the reason for the initial 911 call.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Riverside County sheriff’s deputy shoots and kills hammer-wielding man
Reporting by Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
