Family of suspect killed in officer-involved shooting responds

ByJOE YBARRA KFSN logo
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Family of suspect killed in officer-involved shooting responds
Serina Uribe lost her husband Raymond Gonzalez on the eve of the couple's anniversary. Thursday, she says, would have been marked 17 years together.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Serina Uribe lost her husband Raymond Gonzalez on the eve of the couple's anniversary. Thursday, she says, would have been marked 17 years together.

"We were supposed to get old together and they took my best friend," Uribe said.

Gonzalez died Wednesday after a confrontation with Fresno Police. Investigators say he was acting suspicious on Blackstone and Yale Avenues, and when an officer approached him, he ran to a parking lot nearby."

Witness Mya Thomas was watching from across the street. She says Gonzalez pulled out a gun and tried to toss it on top of a building but it hit the ground.

"Less than five minutes, it all went down in less than five minutes," Thomas said. "The officer was already telling him to get down and he shot one time, told him to get down again and shot him another time."

She says the gun was never pointed at the officer but Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says there was a threat.

"I do know the suspect had reached for that gun at some point," Dyer explained. "And it was at that time that the officer feared for his safety and fired two rounds."

Gonzalez was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The gun was picked up by investigators, authorities say.

"There was also, what appeared to be some type of a crack pipe that was in his possession that fell onto the ground," Dyer said.

Uribe says it isn't fair to her or their seven kids and she plans to seek justice.

"I don't believe any of it's true, none of it's true," Uribe said. "I believe they just shot him, he was cooperating."