Questions follow fatal officer-involved shooting in Stockton

STOCKTON — Many questions remained unanswered Thursday after a deputy from the San Joaquin County Sheriff ’s Office fatally shot a man Wednesday evening on an east Stockton street.

The Sheriff’s Office said the deputy discharged his weapon because he felt an imminent risk of physical danger when he confronted a knife-wielding man. People who were in the area at the time expressed doubts about the deputy’s actions, saying the man he shot was a “nice person” and that they didn’t see a knife at the scene.

The unidentified deputy responded to a report of a disturbance involving a man wielding a knife about 6:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of Waterloo Road. The shooting occurred shortly after the deputy arrived at the scene, said Deputy Dave Konecny, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

Konecny said the man was still holding the knife when the deputy arrived, that the deputy feared for his safety and that the knife was recovered at the scene.

“The use of force was based on a threat of imminent physical danger,” Konecny said.

The wounded man was transported to a hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries. The San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office has not released the man’s name pending notification of his family, but people who knew him described him as a friendly, Spanish-speaking man who frequently bought beer at the corner store.

Store clerk Tom Nguyen said the man purchased a bottle of beer about 10 minutes before the shooting occurred.

“The gentleman was a regular customer,” Nguyen said. “He was a nice person. He doesn’t cause no trouble to people here.”

Shortly after the man exit- ed his store, Nguyen said he heard four gunshots. Kevin Lopez, who works across the street, also said he heard four gunshots. Neither heard any verbal commands before gunfire erupted outside, but both acknowledged that they couldn’t see the man or the deputy when the shooting occurred.

“I didn’t hear him say ‘drop the knife’ or ‘put your hands up’ or anything like that,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen and Lopez both exited their businesses to see the dying man lying in the street, barely moving with a broken beer bottle next to his body.

“He was still alive,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen said no one provided medical attention until other deputies began to arrive five to 10 minutes after the shooting. When backup arrived, deputies began to perform CPR.

Nguyen and Lopez both said they did not see a knife near the man’s body.

Konecny said the Sheriff’s Office immediately initiated a standard multiagency protocol investigation involving the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and the California Department of Justice. Konecny said investigators remained at the scene throughout the night and did not finish gathering evidence until sometime Thursday morning.

The deputy has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in all officer-involved shootings, Konecny said.