UPDATE: After firing at deputies, suspect found dead on Modesto rooftop
A man was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the roof of a Modesto business after allegedly firing at law enforcement as they closed in on him.
The suspect fired about five shots in the direction of Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies, said Lt. Tom Letras, adding that no law enforcement officers were injured or fired their weapons.
The incident started just before 11 p.m. when a deputy saw a silver vehicle driving recklessly eastbound on Yosemite Boulevard from South Santa Cruz Drive.
The deputy followed the vehicle as it continued east and then turned south on Empire Avenue, where the driver stopped the vehicle and ran.
More deputies and Modesto police officers responded to the scene and established a perimeter in the area.
About 10 minutes into the search, authorities spotted the suspect on the roof of a two-story commercial building south of Lapham Drive, according to radio traffic of the incident.
Not long after that, the suspect began firing in the direction of law enforcement.
Letras said deputies did not return fire because none had a clear shot.
“Deputies would have been authorized to use lethal force but what we are trained on is being able to acquire a target,” Letras said. “None of them had a shot,”
More law enforcement responded and a SWAT team was requested.
A UAV was used to get images of the suspect. Authorities knew he wasn’t moving but were not certain he was dead.
A deputy with a rifle was positioned on the roof of an adjacent building to serve as protection for the deputies who climbed onto the roof to locate the suspect, Letras said. The suspect was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Firefighters used an aerial ladder to remove the deceased subject, whose name has not been released.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 9:12 AM.
