Update: Person shot by police during traffic stop in west Modesto early Tuesday

A person shot by at least one officer early Tuesday morning was in stable condition at a hospital, the Modesto Police Department said in a news release.

The incident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. when two officers making a traffic stop in the area of Paradise Road and S. Martin Luther King Drive in west Modesto encountered an armed subject, the release says.

It does not give any circumstances of the shooting, only to say neither officer was injured and a gun was recovered.

MPD said it would not release any further information — including the age, gender and place of residence of the person shot — as it conducts it internal investigation. Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said this could take anywhere from one to three weeks, after which body cam footage and further information will be released to the public.

“We can’t put out details because we don’t want to sway anyone’s statements,” she said.

Bear explained that an investigation by MPD’s Internal Affairs takes place immediately after an officer-involved shooting. A separate criminal investigation is handled by a different division within MPD at the same time. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office also conducts an investigation.

Bear said the California Department of Justice is notified if the person shot was unarmed. Bear confirmed the DOJ would not be notified in this case. An independent auditor from the OIR group — a Los-Angeles-based police oversight organization — will monitor the investigation.

The internal affairs investigation will check to make sure policy was followed. The criminal investigation looks into the shooting, the events that lead up to it and other details. The DA’s Office opens an investigation into every officer-involved shooting, as standard procedure.

This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 6:52 AM.