One man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in the Arden area Sunday. Around 11 a.m., the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office says it received a call about a person asleep on the ground with a visible gun on his lap.<\/p>\n
“The caller also reported that she believed it was the same man who shot at her and her boyfriend the previous night,” said Ed Igoe, a sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office.<\/p>\n
“Gift shops, there’s a barber shop, anything could’ve happened. I just don’t know, maybe they could’ve done something different. But, they’re scared too,” said Eric Jones, a bystander.<\/p>\n
The Sheriff’s Office says when deputies arrived, they woke up the suspect from a distance using the horn of a patrol car. The Sheriff’s Office says the suspect repeatedly failed to follow commands and that when he lowered his hands and started turning around, three deputies fired, ultimately killing him.<\/p>\n
“I fully don’t believe this man was aware he had a chance of being killed based on reaching to pull his pants up,” said Justin Ward, managing attorney at the Ward Firm.<\/p>\n
Justin Ward is a criminal defense attorney who watched the cellphone video and says it appears to show the suspect was pulling up his pants when deputies fired.<\/p>\n
“I question whether or not the officers had a reasonable belief that their lives, or lives of anybody, were in danger based off this man’s actions,” he said.<\/p>\n
Ward acknowledges the volatile nature of the job and the need to make split-second decisions.<\/p>\n
“We have the benefit of looking at the video, playing it, pausing it,” said Ward. “Understanding that, the officers still have a job, and if they’re going to take someone’s life, they need to be absolutely sure it is necessary to use deadly force.”<\/p>\n
Deputies say the suspect’s loaded gun was recovered from the scene. His identity has not yet been released.<\/p>\n
“This is obviously a worst-case scenario for everyone involved, the suspect, the deputies. Nobody ever wants to have to do this,” said Sergeant Igoe.<\/p>\n
Under Sheriff’s Office policy, the three involved deputies will be placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. None of the deputies were hurt in the incident.<\/p>\n
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