UPDATE: Bodycam & helicopter footage of deadly Wildomar deputy-involved shooting released
WILDOMAR, Calif., — Newly released bodycam and helicopter footage issued as part of a Critical Incident Review from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is helping to shed light on a fatal deputy-involved shooting that killed a Corona man last month.
The released footage, along with other details presented by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, showed that the man, 52-year-old Matthew Lawrence Elston, was armed with a rifle and handgun and was seen by deputies attempting to break into his ex-girlfriend’s Wildomar home. Officials say the armed man told emergency dispatchers that he had gone to her home with the intention of committing “suicide by cop”.
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On Sunday afternoon, Jan. 2, deputies from the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station, along with Sheriff’s SWAT members were dispatched to a home in the 34600 block of Orange Street after City of Corona emergency dispatchers contacted Riverside County dispatchers and advised them that they were in contact with Elston.
Corona dispatchers advised Elston was suicidal and making threatening statements, Bianco explained in the Critical Incident Review, (which can be viewed in its entirety here).
Matthew Elston, 52, of Corona, was fatally shot when he approached deputies while armed with a rifle that he had just been firing outside his ex-girlfriend’s Wildomar home. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department photo
When local dispatchers contacted Elston’s ex-girlfriend, they learned she was inside the residence and could hear Elston trying to break into her home, according to Bianco, who said, “The estranged girlfriend stated Elston was on her property, trying to break in through a door of the residence.”
“She was in fear of her life and unable to safely leave the home,” the Sheriff explained.
Responding to the area to assist patrol Emergency Response Team (ERT/SWAT) deputies who were still headed to the location, a Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit arrived overhead and quickly located the suspect in possession of a rifle, who was seen on helicopter footage trying to pry open the door of the residence.
SEE RELATED: Suicidal and caught breaking into Wildomar home, rifle-wielding man fatally shot by deputy
Before deputies arrived, the aviation unit updated that shots had been fired by the rifle-wielding man and when deputies arrived, they found he was still armed with the rifle he had just fired.
With the aviation unit providing second-by-second updates from overhead and using a PA system to order Elston to drop his weapons and surrender to officials, patrol and ERT/SWAT deputies cautiously approached the home and suspect.
Footage showed that when Elston spotted deputies approaching the residence, he turned toward one of them with his rifle, at which time a deputy fired a single round at him.
The discharged round appeared to strike him in the upper body and knocked him to the ground of the driveway outside the victim’s home.
Bodycam footage showed that as patrol and SWAT deputies approached the victim’s home, Elston turned toward them while still armed with a rifle, at which time a deputy fired a single round, killing him. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department photo
Deputies immediately began life-saving efforts and summoned emergency medical personnel to the home, where despite continued medical aid provided by paramedics Elston ultimately succumbed to his gunshot wound and passed away at the scene.
No deputies or other citizens were injured in the shooting and the home’s occupant was found safe and unharmed, according to Bianco.
The involved deputy, whose name has not yet been released, was placed on administrative leave per Department policy, while the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting are reviewed.
During their subsequent investigation, deputies recovered an AR-15 style rifle, 9mm handgun, and multiple spent shell casings at the scene. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department photos
An Investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is leading the ongoing investigation, aided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Force Investigations Detail and their investigation is continuing.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact District Attorney Investigator Carranza at (951) 955-2777 or Investigator Dickey at (951) 955-2777. Callers can refer to incident file number WI220020013 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS), which act as stringer-news providers for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
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.