DA details events leading up to shooting
Fatal shooting involved two Chico Police officers at Petco
CHICO » The names of the man killed Wednesday night and the Chico Police Department officers who shot him, as well as the events leading up to the shooting have been released by Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
Stephen Vest, 30, was shot and killed by two officers outside of a Petco store near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and East 20th Street. Ramsey said Vest, wielding a knife, chased a truck driver and a Petco employee who were unloading supplies through the store’s loading dock. Ramsey declined to comment on Vest’s state of mind, and said they are still waiting for the autopsy and toxicology reports to be completed.
When Chico police officers arrived at the scene, Vest turned his attention to them. He walked toward Chico Police in the parking lot who yelled at Vest to stop and drop the knife in his hand, Ramsey said.
Ramsey said Vest walked in their direction, prompting officer Will Page to deploy his taser, which had “very little” effect on Vest, Ramsey said. A body-worncamera video shows Vest flinching and “continuing his aggressive walk” toward them, Ramsey said.
That’s when Sergeant Nick Bauer and officer Tyler Johnson opened fire on Vest, killing him. At this juncture in the investigation, Ramsey said they believe Johnson fired nine shots and Bauer two, though the exact number has yet to be confirmed.
Ramsey said the body- camera footagewill be released following the end of the investigation.
Bauer, who’s worked with the Chico Police Department for 14 years, and Johnson, an 11-year law enforcement veteran, including the last year and a half in Chico, have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
The Chico Police Dispatch Center first received 9-1-1 calls around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday describing a man wearing dark clothing brandishing a knife and threatening people at Community Park, north of East 20th Street. Chico Police officers who arrived at the scene did not initially locate the man and went back to patrol after
searching the area, Ramsey said.
Around the same time near the tennis courts, Vest was spotted by a private security guard whose company is contracted with the Chico Area Recreation and Park District to patrol the park. The security guard observed Vest “wildly gesturing” and noticed he had blood on himself, Ramsey said.
The security guard then
turned on the overhead lights on his vehicle and rolled down his window to contact Vest. Ramsey said Vest then reached into the window and attempted to slash at the security guard with a knife.
The security guard sped up his vehicle, then Vest jumped on the hood and climbed up the windshield onto the hood. The guard accelerated a second time and Vest got down from the hood to the passenger’s side of the vehicle. According to Ramsey, the guard then deployed his taser.
“At this point, the guard
shot his own taser through his front passenger window at the man,” Ramsey said. “The guard had indicated he thought he had a good strike upon Mr. Vest. But Mr. Vest continued on in a threatening mode.”
After speeding away from Vest, the security guard contacted Chico police.
Vest continued south from the park to the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and East 20th Street, where he walked out into traffic and approached vehicles passing by, Ramsey said.
“He’s jumping up on their cars, he’s banging on their windshields with his knife, he jumps on the back of a motorcycle with amotorcyclist who was somewhat upset that he’s doing that and elbows him off of themotorcycle,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey also described two witnesses who saw Vest in the intersection and thought he had been a victim of hit and run. They pulled up alongside Vest to see if he was OK. Soon after, Vest slashed one of their tires with his knife.
Witnesses told investigators that Vest walked toward Petco as sirens were heard approaching the area. Vest then came in contact with the aforementioned truck driver and Petco employee. Ramsey said Vest jumped into the truck, stabbed at pallets and then began chasing the two with the knife in his hand.
Chico police officers arrived at this point to see Vest and the two people running through the loading dock and disappear into the store. The officers then moved through the parking lot toward the front of the store. The officers saw the truck driver and employee runningwithVest “on their heels,” Ramsey said, before Vest turned to his right and began to walk in the officers’ direction.
Vest was on probation for past instances of attacking police officers. Ramsey said Vest did not brandish a weapon in those previous events, but instead, used his hands and teeth to bite officers.