A high-speed chase escalated into a fatal shooting when a deputy with the Hesperia Police Department attempted to apprehend 52-year-old Keith Vinyard, a suspect with an outstanding felony domestic violence warrant. On a barren stretch southeast of the 15400 block of Halinor Street in Hesperia, what began as a routine traffic stop on the evening of March 23 became a matter of life and death.

Vinyard, who refused to comply with the deputy's attempts to pull him over, led authorities on a dangerous pursuit through the desert. Driving recklessly, at a high rate of speed,, the chase ended with Vinyard confronting the officers militantly: equipping himself with a large metal object and threatening violence. In a press release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department, officials detailed how additional deputies arrived on the scene urged into a lethal force encounter that resulted in Vinyard being shot.

Deputies immediately rendered medical assistance to the injured suspect until emergency medical responders took over. Despite these efforts, Vinyard was pronounced dead at the scene, the summary of the incident provided in the release detailed the event's harrowing conclusion.

The Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division is now working in tandem with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the shooting, as mandated by Assembly Bill 1506. Questions about the case have been redirected to the DOJ, and, their investigation continues.