Authorities identify man fatally shot by police during domestic disturbance

Authorities on Tuesday identified a man fatally shot by Modesto police as Spencer Herckt, 42. Herckt was killed and a Modesto officer injured when police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance Monday night in north Modesto.

About 9:10 p.m., police got a call from a woman reporting the family disturbance in the 3700 block of Maserati Drive. The caller indicated that her estranged husband appeared to be under the influence and was vandalizing her vehicle while she sat outside her residence, police said in a news release. The location is a residential complex of single- and two-story units just north of the Sylvan Avenue and Coffee Road intersection.

Officers arrived and made contact with Herckt outside the home. As they were talking, “the situation quickly escalated and officers utilized their Tasers,” the news release said. Herckt then hit one of the officers in the back of the head with a large glass object. Both officers opened fire, striking Herckt.

After attempts to resuscitate Herckt using CPR, he was pronounced dead at the scene, department spokeswoman Heather Graves said. The officer was treated for a head injury by American Medical Response and did not require hospitalization, she said.

Two officers were involved in the shooting incident and, per standard procedure, have been put on paid administrative leave, Graves said.

The officers’ names have not been released.

Information on whether anyone was injured in the domestic dispute that led to the 911 call was not available Tuesday.

Casie Vargas, who lives in the complex, said she was in bed when she heard an altercation at the residence and called 911. Vargas said she heard a gunshot and a man yelling, “Help me.” She said she then heard a female screaming and about six more gunshots.

Neighbors reported a swarm of police vehicles descended upon Grand Prix and Maserati drives. Graves said reports of Tasers and shots typically draw a large response, and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department also responded initially, probably because a patrol unit was in the area.

This was the fourth fatal officer-involved shooting involving a Modesto police officer since April 2016.

In October, an officer shot and killed Kim Jackson, 53, after the woman, armed with multiple knives, charged officers. The incident occurred on Queens Avenue, a few blocks southwest of Briggsmore and Rose avenues.

In June, two Modesto officers were involved in a deadly Turlock shooting while assisting members of the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency. They shot and killed Omar Villagomez, 21, of Tulare County after the car he was driving collided with unmarked police cars in the 2300 block of West Main Street in Turlock. Officers were attempting to arrest Villagomez.

In April, Lonnie Ball, 39, of Modesto died after being shot by officers in the 2000 block of Lance Street in an incident tied to a custody dispute. He had a gun in his hand moments before officers fired.

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Authorities identify man fatally shot by police during domestic disturbance."