5 Stockton Officers Shoot Armed Man Who Charged At Them Outside Police Headquarters
STOCKTON (CBS13) -- A man has been shot and killed by officers after he allegedly charged at them while armed with a gun outside of Stockton police headquarters Wednesday night.
The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the Stockton Police Department Operations Building at 22 E. Market Street, according to a police department statement.
Police say they got two calls about a man in the police department's parking lot reportedly firing a gun. A total of six officers then went out through the front lobby doors to investigate.
Officers say the suspect started walking towards them and screaming. He was armed with a handgun, police say.
The suspect was given commands to get on the ground and drop the gun. While the suspect did get on his stomach, police say he wouldn't drop the gun. He also continued screaming.
At some point, officers say the suspect got back up, pointed the gun at officers, then started running at them.
This prompted five officers to shoot at the man. It's unclear how many times he was hit, but the suspect was taken down. Officers then started life-saving measures before paramedics took over.
Police say the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
No officers were hurt in the incident.
Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones spoke after the shooting, saying officers were forced to fire.
"Unfortunately, we're seeing more cases like this, not just in our area -- whether it be ambushes or assaults on police officers or their building or operations buildings. We've been seeing an increase of this really nationally and it's extremely concerning," said Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones.
There were civilians outside the headquarters at the time but they were also unharmed, Jones says.
The name of the suspect has not been released. A Colt handgun that was allegedly used by the suspect was recovered at the scene. It contained a single bullet.
All five of the officers who opened fire will be on three-day paid administrative leave, per standard law enforcement operating procedure after a shooting.
Police say the department's main lobby remains closed due to the investigation.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story incorrectly named Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones.]
