Child- molestation suspect is killed by deputies in standoff

A man wanted on allegations of child molestation was shot and killed by three Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputies Friday morning after he escalated an overnight standoff in Byron by leaving his home through a window and raising his gun at officers, department officials said.

The incident began when deputies went to a home on Hoffman Lane around 10 p. m. Thursday to serve a $ 1.15 million arrest warrant on the man, alleging 12 counts of abusing a foster child.

The suspect, identified as Michael Mallett, 49, initially walked out of his home with a gun and refused to negotiate with deputies, then went back inside, officials said. Family members were inside the home but were evacuated during the ensuing standoff, said Jimmy Lee, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

At times Mallett spoke about harming himself, officials said. They said a SWAT team arrived around 3 a. m., and that deputies continued to talk to Mallett by phone. By 9: 30 a. m., deputies deployed a chemical irritant into the home to force him to exit, Lee said.

Mallett came out through a side window, still armed with a handgun, Lee said, prompting deputies to order him several times to drop the weapon. Instead, he raised the weapon toward the deputies, who then fired, officials said. He was pronounced dead by medics at the scene.

The sheriff’s office released a photo of the gun allegedly carried by Mallett. The three deputies who fired will be placed on routine paid leave, Lee said.