The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a deputy-involved shooting that killed a man who was allegedly armed and behaving erratically in the Santa Ana River.
On Friday at 7:28 a.m., Riverside County Parks rangers called the sheriff’s department for assistance at a cleanup site in the Santa Ana River bottom because the rangers encountered a man who was armed with an unknown object.
When deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station arrived to the area of 34th Street and Crestmore Road, they located the man who was armed with a machete and a large metal pipe, according to a news release.
Deputies ordered the man to drop the weapons, but he refused to comply.
The officers then used a “less lethal device to gain compliance,” but the device was ineffective, the news release states. The type of “less lethal device” that was used on the man is unknown.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department declined to disclose the less lethal method, saying the incident is under investigation.
Riverside County Parks officials said they regularly conduct debris and encampment cleanups along the riverbed. Park officials declined to say whether the cleanup effort Friday morning was targeting an encampment along the river.
According to the sheriff’s office, the male who was still armed with the machete “continued to behave erratic and assaultive” toward the deputies and a deputy-involved shooting occurred.
It is unclear what prompted the deputy to fire their weapon.
The man was struck by the deputy’s gunfire. No deputies or rangers were injured during the shooting.
Officers performed medical aid on the man until the paramedics arrived. The man was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The identity of the deceased was not released.
The investigation is ongoing, and no additional details are available. The sheriff’s department declined to release the name of the deputy involved in the shooting.
The sheriff’s office said the deputy involved will be placed on paid administrative leave. according to department policy.
Investigators from the Riverside County district attorney’s office assigned to the Riverside Sheriff’s Force Investigations Detail are leading this investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this shooting is encouraged to contact Riverside County District Attorney Investigator Mario Moreno or Riverside County Sheriff’s Master Investigator Martin Alfaro at 951-955-2700.