Records show man killed by Stanislaus County deputies in Riverbank had prior evictions

The man whose argument with a former landlord led to deputies being called and the ex-tenant being fatally shot in Riverbank on Tuesday had a history of eviction actions taken against him, Stanislaus County court records show.

Armando Arellano Osuna, 51, was a defendant in eviction cases in 2002, 2004 and 2015. So was his wife. Osuna also pleaded no contest in 2016 to a misdemeanor count of spousal battery.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department reported that deputies responded Tuesday at about 10:45 a.m. to a report of a former tenant refusing to leave the property in the 7000 block of Burneyville Road near Jacob Meyers Park.

Osuna "became combative and struck one of the deputies with a metal pipe," the department said in a news release. "One of the deputies fired at Armando, striking him in the upper torso."

Deputies cuffed him and called for medical aid. Osuna was taken to a hospital, where he died several hours later. The deputy struck with the pipe was treated at a hospital and released.

Nancy Osuna, who said she was married to Armando Osuna for 26 years, emailed The Modesto Bee, saying she wants "to get the justice my husband deserves."

She wrote that the Sheriff's Department made "massive mistakes in my husband's murder," but did not elaborate. She did not respond to emails and phone and text messages Wednesday.

The Sheriff's Department has not indicated Nancy Osuna was at the Riverbank home with her husband Tuesday. "Detectives will not release who, if any, witnesses were present or not," department spokesman Deputy Royjindar Singh said.

Three separate and independent investigations have begun into the officer-involved shooting. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department is conducting both a criminal and administrative investigation and the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent review of the incident.

Often, officers or deputies involved in a fatal shooting are placed on paid administrative leave. Singh, however, said the deputies involved in Tuesday's shooting were not placed on leave.

Osuna's death was the second this month to involve Stanislaus deputies. On May 5, Modesto resident Alejandro Sanchez, 38, died at a hospital after fighting with deputies in the parking lot of a truck stop on South Seventh Street.

That incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office, and Sanchez's family has filed a claim against the county, alleging deputies used excessive force.

Anyone with information on the investigation into Tuesday's shooting is urged to call Detective Marissa Wyatt at 209-525-7091. Anonymous tips may be left by calling Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Tipsters can also email tips at www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text them to 274637 by typing "Tip704" plus the message, and be eligible for a cash reward.

This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Records show man killed by Stanislaus County deputies in Riverbank had prior evictions."