PORTERVILLE, Calif. (FOX26) — A shooting involving a Tulare County sheriff’s deputy left a man dead in Porterville on Tuesday morning.
The shooting took place in the area of Plano Street near the Tule River.
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office says members of the HEART (Homeless Enforcement Assistance Response) Team were conducting routine patrol checks on the northeast side of the Tule River near the Plano Bridge when they noticed a man trespassing in the area that is considered private property.
When deputies tried to contact the man for trespassing, he ran off.
Deputies regularly patrol the area to provide assistance and resources to homeless people in the area, and to make sure they are not trespassing.
Deputies tracked him down, but he ran off again and hid in the trees, where deputies believed he’d been living.
A deputy attempted to make contact with him again, trying to get him to come out, but the suspect refused and began violently resisting.
At that point, the deputy grabbed his taser, which was ineffective on the suspect.
The suspect then grabbed a two to three-foot-long stick, possibly the handle of a shovel, and swung it at the deputy, striking him.
During the second swing of the stick, the deputy pulled out his gun and fired at the suspect.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Porterville Police Department will be handling the deputy-involved shooting investigation.
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The deputy will be placed on standard administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.