The police chief says the suspect stabbed the officer in the arm with a pair of scissors and tried to grab his gun in the moments before the shooting. But the suspect's elderly father told ABC30, he doesn't believe his son should have been killed.
A carpet cleaning company spent Tuesday afternoon working at the home where a Los Banos police officer shot and killed a man on Monday.
"I think it's really sad," said neighbor Linda Velez. "I've lived here for eight years, and those neighbors have been pretty quiet, so it was really shocking."
Officers initially went to the house after an 80-year-old man called to report his son was assaulting him.
Los Banos Police Chief Gary Brizzee said, "The officer went inside to speak to the 43-year-old son, and at some point during the conversation, the 43-year-old son grabbed a pair of scissors and began to attack the officer."
Chief Gary Brizzee says the suspect stabbed the officer in his arm. The officer then reached for his gun, and the two men struggled over the firearm.
"The officer was able to fire one round with his duty weapon, striking the suspect in the shin area," explained Chief Brizzee. "This backed the suspect up momentarily, but he again came at the officer, the officer was able to fire a second round striking the suspect in the chest area."
Emergency workers provided first aid before the man was flown to a Modesto hospital, where he died during surgery.
Velez added, "I just feel really broken hearted for that family."
We spoke to the suspect's elderly father off camera. He said his son was small and weak, and he feels the officer could have subdued him without using deadly force. But Chief Brizzee disagrees.
"I'm very proud of how he handled himself during the course of this incident, he showed a lot of restraint and protected himself in the face of an attacker," explained Chief Brizzee.
