Gunman Killed in Shootout with Deputies on Whitney Avenue

A man was shot and killed Sunday evening by Sacramento's County Sheriff's Office deputies on Whitney Avenue after he approached them with a handgun, sheriff's officials reported.

At about 9:20 p.m. on Sunday, deputies responded to an incomplete 9-1-1 call from a residence in the 3400 block of Morrow Street. A loud argument could be heard on the phone line, although the exact nature of the disturbance was unknown to deputies while they were en route to the location.

Several minutes later, the first arriving deputy staged on Whitney Avenue, around the corner from the residence where the 9-1-1 call had come from, in order to await the arrival of another deputy. While waiting for his cover unit, the deputy heard loud yelling
coming from the area where the 9-1-1 call was generated.

The deputy drove around the corner and observed a male adult standing outside near the street, armed with a rifle. That subject fired the rifle at the deputy, striking his patrol vehicle. The deputy returned
fire, at which time the suspect retreated toward the residence.

The deputy immediately requested additional units and promptly retreated back around the corner from Morrow Street onto Whitney Avenue. Shortly thereafter, a second patrol deputy arrived at the scene.

As the deputies were in their vehicles on Whitney Avenue, the subject who had fired a rifle at the first deputy came walking quickly around the corner from Morrow Street onto Whitney Avenue. As he proceeded aggressively toward the deputies, they could see that he was holding a handgun while advancing toward them.

Deputies ordered the man several times to stop and drop his weapon. The gunman ignored repeated commands to stop and relinquish his weapon, at which time the deputies fired their duty weapons at him, striking him.

The gunman collapsed in the middle of Whitney Avenue and deputies immediately requested emergency medical personnel. Paramedics arrived at the scene, and the man was pronounced dead.

Neither of the deputies involved was injured during the incident.

Investigation into this incident will be conducted by the Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau and the Professional Standards Division, which is standard practice for any officer-involved shooting by department personnel that occurs in the Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction.

In accordance with the Sheriff’s Department’s policies and procedures, both deputies will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The deputies involved in the incident are assigned to the Sheriff’s North Patrol Division, and have 13 and 14 years of service, respectively, with the Sheriff’s Department.

The identity of the shooting victim in this incident will be made available by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office after his next of kin has been notified.

-Submitted by Dep. Jason Ramos, Sheriff’s spokesman