Man, 71, armed with knife, fatally shot by Indio PD officer

INDIO –  An elderly man who was allegedly armed with a knife and threatening innocent bystanders was shot and killed by an Indio Police officer Saturday, August 20, according to Riverside Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Deputy Mike Vasquez.

The fatal officer-involved shooting happened in front of the Rancho Fresco Market, located in the 44500 block of Jackson Street in Indio.

The man who was shot and killed has only been identified by coroner officials as a 71-year-old resident of Indio. His name is being withheld at the request of Indio PD until his family has been notified regarding his death. The coroner’s report listed the elderly man’s time of injury as 9:15 p.m. He died about 30 minutes later at 9:55 p.m. in the Emergency Room at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital.

The deadly incident began at about 9:15 p.m. when dispatchers from the Indio Police Department received a 911 call reporting a male suspect armed with a knife. Officers were immediately dispatched to the area after learning the suspect was threatening citizens in the area.

When officers arrived they almost immediately located the suspect in front of the market. During their initial contact with the unidentified man an officer involved shooting occurred.

Paramedics and other emergency first responders were sent to the scene to render first aid to the mortally wounded suspect. Paramedics transported the man to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by hospital staff.

“No Indio Police Officers or citizens were injured during the incident,” according to Munoz.

After the fatal shooting, the Indio Police Department requested assistance from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Central Homicide Unit responded to the scene and assumed the investigation into this incident.

Mikayla Mendoza, 17, who filmed the deadly shooting posted her video to social media and described what she had seen.

In the nine-second-long video, at least one Indio Police officer can be seen confronting the man in the market parking lot on the southeast corner of Jackson Street and Dillon Avenue.

“I witnessed 1 police officer trying to get a homeless guy down,” Mendoza explained in her post. “The guy was not going down but had his hands up as if he was surrendering.”

Mendoza said she could hear the officer(s) shouting loud verbal commands for the man to get down on the ground. Despite their warnings, the man kept standing and remained confrontational.

“The police shot 2 (Taser, less lethal weapons) toward him & would still not go down,” Mendoza wrote. “The same officer that tazed the guy…shot him till he went down. Within seconds 4 other cop cars arrived and officers jumped out.”

In the video Mendoza posted to social media seven gunshots can be heard being fired in rapid succession. (WARNING: Strong content.)

Investigators have said the man was still armed with the knife, but the footage posted by Mendoza is too short and blurry to see if the man still had anything in his hands when the deadly shooting occurred.

“This is an ongoing investigation and no further details will be released at this time,” Vasquez wrote. “The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave per his Department policy. The involved officer’s name will not be released at this time.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Central Homicide Investigator Alfaro at (760) 393-3528.

Callers can refer to incident file number R162330001 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]