Family fight leads to Modesto police shooting, killing man with knife

Modesto police shot and killed a 45-year-old man early Monday after unsuccessfully trying to stop him with a Taser.

Police said the man was armed with a knife and intoxicated when the shooting occurred just after midnight in a southeast Modesto home.

Police released only sketchy details Monday as they continued their investigation, but here's what they said happened:

Several people, including family members, called 911 to report a violent fight between family members inside a home in the 500 block of Mary Todd Lane.

Callers reported the man had a knife and was intoxicated. Police confirmed he had a knife when they arrived.

Two police officers entered the house. One officer tried to subdue the man by firing a Taser at him, but it was ineffective. Both officers then fired their guns.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

No one else was injured.

Police have not released the identities of the man or of the two officers involved.

"It's unfortunate. It's tragic. And there are victims all around," Modesto Police Chief Mike Harden said. "They had to resort to something no officer wants to do. They had to make a tough, tough decision."

Harden said Tasers usually work well but they are not foolproof. In this case, he said, "an officer did deploy a Taser, but it was ineffective."

Modesto police Sgt. Rick Armendariz said family members were in the home and witnessed the shooting.

County property records show the house is owned by Francisco and Luz Maria Moran.

'Relative of residents'

The man who was shot "was a relative of the people who reside there," Armendariz said. Before releasing the man's name, police "want to make sure we have the right identity."

Armendariz said the Stanislaus County coroner's office is expected to do an autopsy Wednesday.

Modesto police and the Stanislaus County district attorney's office are conducting a criminal investigation of the shooting, which is standard procedure. The Police Department's internal affairs department is conducting an administrative investigation.

The officers were put on paid administrative leave, which is customary after such an incident.

"These officers are victims as well," said Harden, who said their names will be made public today.

Several of those living on Mary Todd Lane said they heard the fight and the gunshots.

Neighbor Jason Bowman said there was loud fighting and screaming in Spanish coming from inside the house late Sunday night, which frightened his wife and other neighbors, who called 911.

By Monday afternoon, the home's driveway and curb were full of cars. Several Spanish prayers, or novenas, were tacked to the frame, and a simple cross was wedged in the screen door. People gathered in the back yard said they did not want to talk to the media.

Boys playing in the neighborhood, which is near Creekside Golf Course, said there often were fights at the house.

"Every couple of months there'd be a fight — but never like this," said Alex Carrasco, 11.

Ethan Cao, 12, said he heard seven shots. "I counted it in my head," he said. "Actually, it happened kinda fast."

Alex said he heard shots, screaming, then crying.

Officer-involved shootings

This was the sixth reported shooting involving a Modesto police officer since December and the second in which someone was killed.

The other fatality occurred Dec. 16, when police shot and killed Elizabeth Catherine Kropp, 43, of Modesto after she walked onto a Modesto elementary school campus carrying a meat cleaver.

Harden said Modesto police get 115,000 to 120,000 calls for help each year, and they arrest 15,000 to 20,000 people annually. He said many times police must act quickly under adverse, tense conditions.

The majority of police contacts with the public, he said, end up nonviolent.

Bee staff writer J.N. Sbranti can be reached at jnsbranti@modbee.com or 578-2196.

Bee staff writer Nan Austin can be reached at naustin@modbee.com or 578-2339.

This story was originally published September 7, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Family fight leads to Modesto police shooting, killing man with knife."