A domestic violence call in Lathrop ended with police shooting and killing a person at the scene, authorities said Friday.
Officers were called around 5:29 p.m. Thursday to an area near Pamela Court for what was described as a “domestic violence incident,” according to a release from the Lathrop Police Department.
During the encounter, police shot one person, authorities said. Officers provided medical aid at the scene, and the person — who has not been identified — was transported to a hospital, where they died, police said.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state Department of Justice is investigating. Under state law, the DOJ is required to investigate all police shootings that result in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state.
It was not immediately clear what spurred the shooting. Lathrop police did not provide any additional details other than to say that no law enforcement officials were injured.
On Friday afternoon, the residential neighborhood of one- and two-story homes in the 15500 block of Pamela Court was quiet. A small red tricycle rested next to patio chairs on the front walk of the house where the shooting occurred. A whale plushie lay discarded on the lawn.
Alex Barnett, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, said that before the shooting, he and his mother heard a “commotion” next door — thuds and then screams from inside.
Minutes later, he said, two police cars rolled to a stop on the cul-de-sac, their sirens off. Barnett said they heard a “pop” not long after the police arrived, and then their neighbor’s middle school-aged daughter ran to their door in tears.
Eventually, the street was filled with police cruisers, a firetruck and an ambulance, Barnett said, adding that he saw a person on a stretcher loaded into the ambulance. Authorities remained at the scene until early morning, he said.
The shooting is the second involving extreme force by officers in San Joaquin County this week.
Police shot and killed a man inside a McDonald’s in Lodi on Monday after receiving reports of an armed suspect inside. Authorities said that when officers arrived around 9:30 a.m., they heard gunshots and discovered an employee had been shot. They then encountered a man they said was armed, and shot him. The man was later identified as Jonhatan Anguiano, 29.
The state Justice Department has not said publicly whether it is investigating the Lodi shooting.