2nd Police Shooting Reported In Riverside County, This Time Fatal

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Riverside Police Department released details about an officer-involved shooting Wednesday that left a man dead. The police shooting followed one in Hemet just hours earlier.

The Riverside incident began at about 1:48 a.m. in the La Sierra neighborhood. Riverside police were checking on an occupied vehicle in an apartment driveway in the 3600 block of Banbury Drive, according to the law enforcement agency.

"During the contact, the suspect driver produced a firearm and an officer-involved shooting occurred," police reported.

The driver, identified as 26-year-old Ryan Joseph Smith of San Bernardino, was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries, police said.

"A firearm was recovered at the scene," according to the police department.

There were no reports of officer injuries.

The shooting is being investigated by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, and the Riverside Police Department.

No further details were available.

It was the second police shooting within less than 12 hours in Riverside County.

At about 10:38 p.m. Tuesday, an on-duty deputy stationed out of the Hemet Sheriff's Station was fueling up his patrol vehicle at a business in the area of Meridian Street and Florida Avenue. During that time, the deputy was "alerted" to a person standing nearby on the sidewalk holding a handgun, according to the sheriff's department.

"The deputy gave the suspect commands, [but] the suspect continued to manipulate the weapon and a deputy-involved shooting occurred," according to the agency.

The deputy was uninjured; the suspect was provided medical aid until being sent to a local hospital. There were no updates on the person's medical status.

The deputy will be placed on paid administrative leave, according to the sheriff's department.

Investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and the California Highway Patrol will lead an investigation into the Hemet shooting.