Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson was between meetings Monday when he heard about the College Station shooting in Texas. He immediately flashed back four months.
The Texas incident left a Brazos County constable and a civilian dead and four other people injured when a man opened fire from inside a home where an eviction notice was being served, authorities said.
"It's eerily familiar," said Christianson, who lost deputy Robert Paris when he and locksmith Glendon Engert were gunned down while serving an eviction notice at a home on Modesto's Chrysler Drive on April 12.
"First of all, our thoughts and prayers certainly go out to the family of Brian Bachmann and anyone in law enforcement in Texas," Christianson said. "Here we are again — the men and women standing between good and evil are under assault. ... It's shockingly similar."
Christianson is awaiting the results of a critical incident review of what happened in Modesto. But in the meantime, his department has implemented new procedures when handling evictions.
"Our civil team certainly now works with a heightened awareness," he said. He said his staff conducts more intelligence work and database research to establish the potential threat level on the front end.
"And we're working to increase some of the staffing and resources in that unit," he said.
The man accused of shooting Paris and Engert, Jim Richard Ferrario, killed himself later that day before flames engulfed the fourplex in which he had barricaded himself.
The Texas suspect, a man in his mid-30s, died in an extended shootout with police responding to the officer-down call, The Associated Press reported.
"When you read the story, it's chilling," Christianson said. "It brings back all the emotion and the memories of that day."
Bee staff writer Patty Guerra can be reached at pguerra@modbee.com or (209) 578-2343.
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