Riverside County deputies shoot and kill homeless man who allegedly had a machete

Riverside County deputies fatally shot a homeless man who they claim had a machete in Jurupa Valley early Friday morning. 

They were called to the scene near the Santa Ana River bottom, close to the intersection of Crestmore Road and 34th Street, at around 7:30 a.m. after learning that someone was allegedly threatening park rangers, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. 

Deputies say that the rangers, with the Riverside County Parks & Open Space District, were cleaning up a homeless encampment in the area when the suspect approached them with a machete and a pipe. 

When they arrived, they located the man and gave him commands to drop the weapons, but refused to comply, they said. It was at this point that they used a less-lethal device to try and subdue him, but it had no effect on the suspect.

"The male, still armed with the machete, continued to behave erratic and assaultive toward the deputies, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred," RSO officials said. 

The suspect has not yet been identified. 

The deputy who fired the fatal shot has been placed on paid administrative leave, the department said. This is department policy while an investigation is performed by the Force Investigations Detail, which includes members of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. 

The deputy's name was not released.