3rd Police Shooting Reported This Week In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A man is in critical condition Friday morning after being shot by a Hemet police officer assigned to the Riverside County Regional Gang Task Force, the sheriff's department announced. It marks the third police shooting in less than a week.

The latest shooting was reported at approximately 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the area of Florida Avenue and Fairview Avenue in Valle Vista, an unincorporated area of Hemet.

The Riverside County Regional Gang Task Force, which is comprised of deputies and officers from police agencies across the county, attempted to contact the man when he fled, according to the sheriff's department.

A chase on foot began when the man "produced a handgun and an officer-involved shooting occurred," the sheriff's department reported.

The man was hit by gunfire. "Officers rendered medical aid until paramedics arrived," and the man was sent to a local area hospital "in critical condition," according to the department.

No officers were injured during the incident.

The Hemet police officer who shot the man will be placed on paid administrative leave according to Hemet Police Department policy.

Neither the man's name nor the officer's identity were released.

An investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will lead an investigation into the shooting.

On Wednesday, the Riverside Police Department released details about an officer-involved shooting 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.

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.