Update: Man shot dead by Ceres Police officers a 27-year-old Modesto man, sister says

A man authorities say was fleeing from police was shot to death by Ceres officers early Sunday morning.

At about 1:08 a.m., officers were pursuing a vehicle in an unincorporated area of Stanislaus County when, about two minutes later, the pursuit ended near or at the intersection of Imperial Avenue and Ustick Road in south Modesto.

Seconds later, shots were fired, and the driver was struck by gunfire from one of the officers, authorities said.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Sgt. Anthony Bejaran, spokesman for the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, would not identify the man who was shot.

However, he was identified as Nicholas Adam Pimentel, 27, of Modesto, according to Pimentel's sister, Summer Pimentel.

The officers were not injured.

There was no immediate information on where exactly the pursuit began, why the officers were pursuing the vehicle and why the officers opened fire. It also was not immediately known if there was anyone else in the vehicle.

This is the second fatal officer-involved shooting involving an officer with the Ceres Police Department in the last 20 months..

On Jan. 5, 2016, officers shot and killed a man at a Don Pedro Road apartment complex. The man was running from officers when he reached for an "item" in his waist and officers opened fired. Albert Thompson, 28, died at the scene.

The item turned out to be a hand torch. The officers, Justin Canatsy and Jesus Salinas, were later cleared of any wrongdoing by the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office.

The officers in Sunday's shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure with all officer-involved shootings.

Three independent investigations have been launched into this incident. The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department is conducting the criminal investigation, the Ceres Police Department the administrative investigation and the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office an independent review.

Anyone who might have information on this case is being asked to call Detective Kamila Sulkowski at 209-575-7032.

This story was originally published October 22, 2017 at 10:03 AM with the headline "Update: Man shot dead by Ceres Police officers a 27-year-old Modesto man, sister says."