Man who pulled gun on Riverside PD homeless outreach team officers fatally shot

May 8, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Authorities remain at the scene of a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred south of Riverside’s downtown business district earlier this morning, Saturday, May 8.

The shooting involved a homeless man who allegedly pulled a gun on officers who were a part of a homeless outreach team that provides services to the homeless. The unit includes a code enforcement officer and two city employees who offer social services such as housing, substance abuse assistance and counseling to area homeless, Riverside Police Department has since said of the deadly incident.

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At around 8:20 a.m., two City of Riverside police officers were in the 3700 block of Elizabeth Street when they spotted a man and attempted to contact him, Riverside Police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback told the Press Enterprise after the shooting.

The team was in the area because it is frequented by homeless people, Railsback explained.

Officers are seen interviewing potential witnesses to this morning’s fatal officer-involved shooting. Nathan Wilking/RVC News photo

As the two officers contacted the man the other city employees waited in their vehicles, which is standard protocol for such contacts, Railsback explained.

As the officers approached the subject, he began walking away from them before suddenly pulling out a dark-colored handgun and pointing it at the officers, at which time both officers opened fire.

Despite life-saving efforts, the man, who appeared to be in his 20s, later died at an area hospital.

Witnesses later told Press Enterprise they heard as many as twelve shots, after hearing one of the officers say “Stop right there!”

Riverside PD has issued a social media release explaining that the shooting investigation, which is active and ongoing at the scene, is having a serious impact on area motorists and cautioned them to choose alternate routes and stay away from the area if possible.

“Investigators with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Force Investigations Detail have arrived and more information will be released once this initial portion of the investigation is complete,” RPD said in their release.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Nathan Wilking/RVC News photos above, video below

Johnny Lopez/Lone Wolf News Media – OnScene TV video below.

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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.