Deputies respond to the area of New Hope Road near Grizzly Slough following the fatal shooting of an armed driver by a deputy during a traffic stop near Galt on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
A motorist was shot and killed by a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy Friday morning following a traffic stop west of Galt in southern Sacramento County.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the shooting occurred on New Hope Road about a quarter-mile west of Orr Road. The scene of the shooting, which happened just before 8 a.m., was near Grizzly Slough, about a mile east of Interstate 5.
According to radio dispatches reviewed by The Sacramento Bee, the shooting happened after a deputy stopped a vehicle about 7:45 a.m. The deputy told dispatchers that the driver was “non-compliant” and that the deputy had “one at gunpoint” because the driver was holding a gun and walking away.
As other agencies were responding to the area, the deputy reported a series of instances in which the man was not following deputy commands, instead doing actions such as walking back and forth and smoking a cigarette.
Just before 7:52 a.m., the deputy reported shots fired and said the man was down, though the deputy relayed that the man continued to have a “hand on the gun” and not comply.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Ed Igoe said that the one deputy fired on the individual and said that “all deputies are safe and uninjured.”
About 8:05 a.m., officials reported they were “starting CPR” before the man was declared dead by firefighters.
Other details about the encounter had yet to be confirmed by the Sheriff’s Office.
The condition of the person who was shot was not immediately known, though firefighters from the Cosumnes Community Service District Fire Department responded to the scene.
This is the second deputy-involved shooting this month after a driver was shot by two deputies after they pulled over his vehicle amidst a felony investigation on Feb. 16 in the Vineyard neighborhood of south Sacramento. The man, who was hospitalized, had a gun, but it was unclear if he pointed it or fired at deputies. Neither deputy was injured.
The Sheriff’s Office is expected to place the deputy who fired the weapon on administrative leave pending an internal investigation and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will conduct its own review. Both practices are standard for deputy-involved shootings.
This is a developing story; check back with sacbee.com for updates.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 8:52 AM.
The Sacramento Bee
Madison Smalstig covers transportation for The Sacramento Bee. Before joining The Bee, she reported on breaking news, focusing on crime and public safety, in the North Bay for three years. Smalstig is a born and raised Hoosier and earned degrees in journalism and Spanish at Indiana University.