Neighbor Jose Ruiz told Action News, "It's real quiet here, been here 22 years, no problems at all."
Ruiz lives down the street from the incident, and didn't know about the shooting, or about the struggle in the middle of his street until he walked outside and saw the crime scene.
It started when someone called 911, saying a man was acting suicidal. It took a nearby deputy less than a minute to arrive on scene. Sheriff Margaret Mims says the deputy was immediately confronted by a man with a box cutter.
Sheriff Mims said, "The deputy fired one shot the subject continued to advance and there may have been an issue with the deputy's firearm at that point because the subject was able to jump on the deputy and start fighting with him."
The fight then spilled into the street. Another deputy arrived, saw what was happening, and fired.
Sheriff Mims added, "Thank goodness the second deputy that arrived was able to put an end to the fight to keep his beat partner from being injured."
The sheriff says the man died at the scene. Neighbors describe him as a nice guy, who was always outside, working on cars and living inside the Thomas Avenue home to take care of his aging relative.
Jose Ruiz said, "I knew the old man he used to do body work and I could talk to him a lot, he retired, he was sick and his son was living with him, taking care of his dad."
The Sheriff says the man has a history of domestic violence. His identity is being withheld pending notification of relatives.
