A SWAT team sniper killed an Camino man Thursday night after the sniper saw the man point a rifle at approaching deputies, an El Dorado County Sheriff's Office spokesman said Friday.
The slain man had earlier fired the rifle at a California Highway Patrol aircraft that was at the scene to aid officers.
Earlier, a sheriff's spokesman said a man called 911 at 6:50 p.m. Thursday from his home at 2681 Waxwing Lane and reported that he had a gun and wanted to hurt himself. The dispatcher heard what sounded like a gunshot during the conversation and the line was disconnected, Sgt. Tom Murdoch stated in a news release.
Sheriff's deputies were sent to the home to investigate a possible suicide or shooting.
While they were responding, the man called 911 again and made several threats to shoot himself and the responding deputies. The dispatcher heard a shot fired, and the SWAT team also was sent to the home, Murdoch said.
When deputies arrived in the thickly forested residential neighborhood, they located the home by following the sounds of gunshots. A California Highway Patrol air crew spotted the man walking around the outside his home with a rifle, he said.
When authorities called in the man's direction, he raised the rifle and fired at the air crew, Murdoch said.
The aircraft gained altitude, but stayed overhead to advise deputies of the man's actions.
Deputies located the man and set up a containment perimeter. The man was still armed when the SWAT team arrived and as SWAT deputies approached the man, he raised the rifle in the deputies' direction and was shot, Murdoch said.
The rifle was secured and a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crew, which also had responded to the scene, was called in to give the man medical aid.
The man died at the scene, he said.
Neither deputies nor CHP officers were injured.
The name of the Camino man is being withheld, pending confirmation of his identity and notification of his family, he said.
A multijurisdictional team of investigators comprised of detectives from the sheriff's office, as well as a the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, the Placerville Police Department and the California Highway Patrol will be investigating the incident for "as long as it takes to get all the facts," Chovanec said.
http://www.sacbee.com/749/story/1011397.html
Richard L Moody
