Man injured in officer-involved shooting in Aptos

APTOS >> The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is reporting its deputies’ involvement in a nonfatal shooting Tuesday night.

According to a release issued by the agency Thursday and dispatch reports, deputies were in the midst of contacting two occupants in a vehicle just after 10:50 p.m. in the Aptos Village Square parking lot off Soquel Drive when they observed the driver, known to law enforcement to be Eli Burry, 40, of Soquel, to be armed with a handgun. Burry was arrested in March 2020 in a county drug task force bust netting 13 guns and nearly a pound of methamphetamine. The case remained pending in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, where Burry pleaded not guilty to charges and had a pending court hearing set in the case for Tuesday.

Burry reportedly fired one round when deputies attempted to detain him. A deputy also discharged his weapon several times, striking Burry. Deputies provided medical aid to the man before he was transported to a hospital. The Sheriff’s Office said Burry is expected to survive and is expected to face weapons violations and violent felony charges related to the case.

Investigators recovered several weapons at the scene, including the weapon Burry reportedly fired, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The involved deputies and the car’s passenger reportedly were not injured during the incident.

The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the officer-involved shooting and names of involved deputies and body-worn camera footage are expected to be released next week, the agency reported.