FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The Fresno Police Department has released edited body-worn camera footage from an August 23 incident that ended with officers fatally shooting a man following a domestic violence call.
The video begins with a 911 call placed around 1:45 p.m.
“My husband was hitting me. He tried to kill me,” the caller told dispatchers.
Police say the call came from an apartment complex near Blythe Avenue and Austin Way.
The woman reported her husband, 41-year-old Joseph Merical, had strangled her before she escaped with their baby.
She also warned officers he might harm himself and could be armed with a knife.
EXCLUSIVE: Widow of man killed by Fresno Police shares her story of survival
When officers arrived, they found Merical had barricaded himself inside the apartment.
For about 90 minutes, police say they tried to communicate with him without success. Officers eventually broke a kitchen window and rammed the front door.
Bodycam video shows Merical standing on a couch, blocking the doorway with a knife in hand.
SWAT officers and crisis negotiators were called in, but Merical refused to surrender.
Just after 8 p.m., police say Merical opened the door and quickly walked down the stairs holding a knife in each hand, moving toward officers near the carports.
Officers first deployed less-lethal rounds, but when Merical continued advancing, two officers fired their rifles.
Merical was given medical aid at the scene but later died at the hospital.
Joseph’s wife, Gisela Gonzalez Merical, spoke exclusively to Action News, saying the release of the video has set her back in the grieving process.
“It’s just reigniting all those wounds and reopening them, it’s two steps back,” says Gonzalez Merical.
Since the traumatic day, the family has laid Merical to rest, and Gisela and her daughter have been in therapy.
Gisela says she understands the need for transparency and was horrified by her husband’s actions, but fears the images of his final moments could become a public spectacle.
“While it’s normal for humans to have curiosity to like oh my gosh what happened, and ignite curiosity, I just like it to be a reminder that’s also someone’s father and that’s also his last moments that’s someone losing blood and by the second their final breaths,” says Gonzalez Merical.
She added that her husband struggled with mental health issues and had sought help before the incident.
Meantime, police say their investigation remains ongoing and no one else was physically hurt during this incident.
If you are the victim of domestic abuse, or you know someone who is, there is help available 24/7. In Fresno County, call the Marjaree Mason Center at (559) 233-4357. In all other locations, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
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