A suspect who was wearing body armor was shot and killed after he allegedly opened fire on deputies in a Hemet neighborhood Tuesday night.
Authorities arrived in the 26300 block of Jepson Court just after 11:40 p.m. following a report of a physical altercation between family members in which a female had sustained injuries, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release Wednesday morning.
Deputies contacted the suspect but he was said to be uncooperative and shut the front door on them.
The suspect, identified only as a male, then shot at deputies with an assault rifle from within the residence as authorities were attempting to contact those involved in the earlier incident, according to the news release.
“The suspect then exited the residence wearing body armor and armed with the assault rifle. He fired at deputies a second time and a deputy-involved shooting occurred,” the Sheriff’s Department stated.
Eleven gunshots could be heard on a recording provided by an unidentified neighbor to stringer news service OnScene.TV. It was unclear at what point during the incident this recording was made.
The suspect was struck by the deputy’s gunfire and transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The female victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at the scene.
The deputy involved in the shooting was placed on paid administrative leave in compliance with department policy, the news release stated.
No deputies were injured in the incident.
