PORTERVILLE, Calif. (FOX26) — Tulare County Sheriff Boudreaux held a news conference following a deputy-involved shooting Thursday morning in Porterville.
Sheriff Boudreaux said the deputy did not survive, and the suspect is barricaded in a nearby home.
Deputies were serving a search warrant in the area of Newcomb and Grand in Porterville when the suspect, identified as David Morales, started shooting.
They returned fire while Morales continued to shoot.
A FOX26 viewer captured cellphone video of the moment the shots were fired.
FOX26 views captured cellphone video of the moment the shots were fired. (Video: Juan Guerrero)
The shooting happened around 10:20 a.m. in the area of Newcomb and Grand.
The wounded deputy was pulled to safety and taken to the hospital, where he died at 11:20 a.m.
Sheriff Boudreaux said officers from Porterville, Tulare, Farmersville Police Departments were there to assist, along with the California Highway Patrol helicopter, and Bakersfield and Visalia SWAT.
The sheriff said the suspect was using a high-powered rifle.
Officers and deputies take a moment to pray for the fallen deputy after a shooting on Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Photo: Nate CaLo Burns)
The sheriff said nearby schools are under a shelter-in-place order, but assured parents their children are safe and to stay away until further notice.
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