UPDATE: Stabbed in neck and head before fatally shooting suspect, deputy’s recovery continuing
UPDATED: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 3:45 p.m., with additional details from Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
UPDATED: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1:30 p.m., with release of suspect’s name and CORRECTED to reflect the type of weapon used, since described as a screwdriver.
Originally published on Saturday, Aug. 8: Repeatedly stabbed during Rancho Mirage scuffle, deputy fatally shoots man
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Authorities say a deputy who fatally shot a man after he was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and face while investigating reports of a suspicious person is continuing to recover after the deadly encounter, which happened Friday afternoon, Aug. 7.
The stabbing that led to the deadly shooting happened on the 70000 block of Tamarisk Ln. in Rancho Mirage, according to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco; who later openly blasted an area newspaper on social media for their coverage of the incident and the wording of their published article.
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Deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to reports of a suspicious person who was reportedly trying to “gain entry” into a home just after 2:30 p.m., Riverside Sheriff’s spokesperson Deputy Deanna Pecoraro and Bianco have since said of the violent and deadly encounter.
“Shortly after receiving the call, a deputy arrived on scene and located a male suspect matching the description given by dispatch,” Pecoraro said after the incident.
“Immediately after making contact with the suspect, the deputy was assaulted and ultimately stabbed,” Pecoraro continued; saying, “At that time, a deputy involved shooting occurred.”
The deputy was rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries and the suspect died at the scene, according to Pecoraro.
Officials recovered a screwdriver at the scene, Pecoraro wrote in a later update, which identified the deceased man as Jeffery Monroy, 33, of Cathedral City.
Officials say a man suspected of trying to force his way into a Rancho Mirage home was fatally shot after repeatedly stabbing a deputy who responded to the call. KESQ News Channel 3 photo
“One of my deputies is in the hospital with multiple stab wounds to the neck and head caused by a man who is now dead,” Bianco later said of the incident.
“After responding to a call of a suspicious man trying to gain entry into a house, the deputy was immediately assaulted and stabbed multiple times,” the Sheriff continued; adding, “He was able to remove himself from the attack long enough to draw his gun stopping the attack and killing the suspect.”
The deputy is continuing to recover and is in stable condition, according to Bianco.
Investigators from the Force Investigations Detail (Riverside County District Attorney Investigators and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Central Homicide Unit) are continuing their investigation into the deadly incident.
The deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave per Department policy and his name has not been released.
In a social media release published the day of the incident titled, “TO HELL WITH THE DESERT SUN!”, Bianco railed against the news organization for the wording they used in a report covering the fatal incident.
“The only ‘allegedly’ is the Desert Sun claiming to be a news agency,” Bianco angrily wrote on social media.
Saying, “I am proud to lead a department of Sheepdogs protecting Riverside County from the wolves,” Bianco wrote, “Thank God the deputy did exactly what he should have done under the circumstances.”
“Your deputies will continue to come to work every day knowing we might not go home with a mindset of ‘Service Above Self’,” added Bianco.
The Sheriff later updated his social media release, writing, “After a lengthy and hopefully productive conversation with the editor of the Desert Sun, the headline and the article were changed.”
“Words have meaning,” Bianco wrote; saying, “Choose wisely.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident to contact D.A. Investigator Steve Paxiao at (760) 863-8216 or Investigator Tony Johnson at (760) 393-3502. Callers can refer to incident file number S202200056 and can remain anonymous.
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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.
Your article states “The deputy was rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries and the knife-wielding suspect died at the scene, according to Pecoraro.”
I cannot find any formal statement by Pecoraro that the weapon used by the assailant was a knife. It might seem self-evident that a stabbing require the use of a knife but other items can be used for stabbing. You attributed the “knife-wielding suspect” comment to Pecoraro. What is the source?
Hi Michael,
You have a very good point.
While officials have not specified the implement that was used to cause “multiple stab wounds to the neck and head” of the injured deputy, I inferred – perhaps prematurely and/or incorrectly – that the weapon was a knife.
The weapon in fact could have been a set of keys, ball point pen, or other sharpened instrument.
If the weapon turns out to have been something other than a knife, I will write an immediate correction to my article.
Also, you questioned the part of the article that mentions the suspect dying at the scene. That was not an exact, word-for-word quote and the exact verbiage was not directly attributed to Pecoraro.
Best wishes,
-TM
Trevor, thanks for the reply and for updating the story to reflect the weapon as a screwdriver – Michael