A man who authorities say may have been armed and was fleeing from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office was fatally shot Monday after a confrontation with deputies in the rural Stockton community of Garden Acres, on the east side of the city.
The shooting occurred at 11:14 a.m. near the 5000 block of Ardelle Way, a quiet neighborhood of single-family houses close to East Side Community Park.
The Sheriff’s Office asked that bystanders stay clear of Ardelle Way and Walker Lane while they investigate the shooting.
“While this investigation will be conducted as quickly and safely as possible, it will also be thorough and methodical, which takes time,” authorities said in a statement.
No deputies were injured in the gunfire. But the man, described by the Sheriff’s Office as a “suspect,” was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
The man’s name, age and hometown were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
“An individual believed to be armed with a firearm fled from deputies, which has now resulted in an officer-involved shooting,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Authorities did not reveal what brought deputies to the location, whether the man was shot as he ran away or whether a gun was recovered at the scene.
The California Attorney General’s Office issued a statement saying the state Department of Justice’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team will investigate the shooting — as required by state law.
The Sheriff’s Office said the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is also involved in the case.
“Investigators from multiple agencies are involved to ensure there is no bias and that transparency is upheld — key elements of a protocol investigation and part of the Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing commitment to public trust,” authorities said in a statement.