Deputy fatally shoots crowbar-wielding man who had just attacked girlfriend

PERRIS, Calif. — Authorities say a crowbar-wielding man who had just attacked his girlfriend was fatally shot by a deputy after he advanced on the deputy while still armed with the crowbar Friday evening, May 7.

Officials today said that deputies contacted the man in a field near the 22000 block of Margarth Street, east of Highway 74 and southwest of Perris, during a family disturbance and assault with a deadly weapon investigation.

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Deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station responded to a Margarth Street residence at 7:21 p.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting a family disturbance and assault with a deadly weapon, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Lionel Murphy has since said of the deadly incident.

While responding to the scene, deputies received additional information that the suspect had struck the victim with a crowbar during an argument, Murphy explained.

In his own social media release after the fatal shooting, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has since described the victim as the suspect’s girlfriend.

When deputies arrived they learned the man was still in the area. They soon located him in a nearby field and saw he was still in possession of the crowbar, according to Murphy; who said that when the man refused deputies’ orders to drop the crowbar and refused to comply with the deputies’ commands one of the deputies deployed a Taser, which was ineffective.

As deputies continued to order the suspect to drop the crowbar, he advanced toward one of them with the crowbar in his hand. Fearing an imminent attack the deputy opened fire, striking the advancing man and stopping his attack.

Deputies immediately began to render aid to the man until they were relieved by Cal Fire paramedics, according to the Sergeant.

He was then transported to a nearby hospital for treatment where, despite lifesaving measures, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.

The suspect’s name has not been released, pending further investigation and notification of the man’s family.

“One deputy fired his service weapon striking the suspect,” Murphy has since described; adding that the crowbar the man had been wielding when he was fatally shot was recovered at the scene.

The victim of the originally reported assault sustained non-life threatening injuries. She was treated at the scene and did not require further medical treatment.

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The involved deputy has been placed on administrative leave per department policy and their name has not been released.

An Investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will lead this investigation, aided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Force Investigations Detail.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact District Attorney Investigator Moreno at (951) 955-5506 or Riverside Sheriff Investigator Moody at (951) 955-2777. Callers can refer to incident file number PC211270073 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

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 30 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 18 grandchildren.