In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a Riverside County Sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man who opened fire on them from inside a Colton home, this occurrence stemmed from an operation to apprehend a suspect allegedly tied to multiple armed robberies, as the Sheriff's Department reported. During the attempt to serve a search warrant on the 900 block of North Vista Way, a confrontation escalated into gunfire after deputies had made several announcements for occupants to come out—a woman did so and was detained while the targeted male suspect shot from inside leading to the deputy-involved shooting.
After the exchange of gunfire settled, law enforcement officials secured the premises and discovered the male suspect, by then lifeless, they called it at the scene, additionally, a firearm was found in the proximity of his body, according to the official statement from Sergeant Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. No harm came to the woman who was earlier taken into custody, nor any officers during this shootout, the outcome which always potent with tragic possibility, unfolding in the somber anonymity of predawn.
The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is consistent with Department policy in the aftermath of such incidents, names of the deputy and the deceased suspect are being withheld at this time—the former pending the ongoing investigation and the latter until family is notified. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, Specialized Investigative Division has been tasked with leading the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, maintaining an active search for details that could provide a clearer picture of what transpired in those precious, fraught moments before the residence on North Vista Way was turned into a crime scene.
As the inquiries press forward, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office is reaching out to the public for any information that might be relevant to the investigation, urging anyone who knows something to contact the Specialized Investigative Division at 909 890-4909, in these times when a community gapes at the recurring spectacle of gunfire and gravity, watching in a mix of horror and instinctive numbness, born from overexposure to such scenes. For further media questions regarding this incident, the Media Information Bureau remains the point of contact.
