Modesto police investigating officer-involved shooting at Oakdale Road shopping center

Modesto police shot a man in a northeast Modesto shopping center on Monday morning, the Police Department reported.

The shooting occurred at the center at 1717 Oakdale Road – at the southwest corner of Lancey Drive – at about 9:45 a.m.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital and was being treated for his injuries. There was no immediate information on his condition.

Heather Graves, spokeswoman for the Modesto Police Department, said the shooting occurred in the parking lot of the center, which contains a Big Lots store, Bank of America and other businesses.

She said the shooting did not involve any of the businesses.

She could not confirm how many officers were involved, for what reasons the man was shot or how many times he'd been shot.

A vehicle sitting atop bushes along the Bank of America drive-through was involved in the incident, Graves said. She confirmed there was no pursuit prior to the shooting — the car already was in the parking lot.

A woman, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, said she was in the parking lot of the shopping center across the street.

She said she heard at least five shots, looked over and saw two men dressed in black with black helmets covering their faces. They were firing into the vehicle Graves said was involved in the incident.

Describing the scene as surreal and not understanding if the shooters were "good guys or bad guys," the woman got back in her vehicle and drove off.

Modesto Chief Galen Carroll confirmed the officers involved were in full uniform.

About an hour after the shooting, several officers – in uniform and in plain clothes – were on scene, along with Carroll and Mayor Ted Brandvold. Brandvold's son was among the detectives investigating the shooting.

Southbound traffic on Oakdale Road in front of the shopping center was closed. Shortly after 11 a.m. , Graves said the crime scene tape likely would be up for hours.

Three investigations were launched by the shooting: a criminal investigation by the Police Department, one by Internal Affairs and one by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department. That is normal protocol, Graves said.

It is the third officer-involved shooting in Stanislaus County in the past few weeks.

On Oct. 22, Ceres police officers shot to death a man who was fleeing from officers in west Modesto. Early Sunday morning, a man suffered non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot by a Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department deputy in south Modesto.

We'll have more on this breaking story as information becomes available.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Modesto police investigating officer-involved shooting at Oakdale Road shopping center."