Fresno police officer struck by gunfire during ‘ambush.’ Deadly shooting unfolded shortly after

A police officer was struck multiple times, and his attacker ended up shot and killed during wild gunfire exchange Saturday night in southeast Fresno.

This officer-involved shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Tulare and Eighth streets.

Interim Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said a sergeant who was inside his patrol vehicle and working on a homicide case nearby got “ambushed.”

A man drove up next to the officer and opened fire at the parked police vehicle, Casto added.

Despite getting struck, the sergeant managed to call for help.

And responding officers, along with the struck sergeant, soon after got into a shooting exchange with the man.

Casto said the man was fatally shot by police.

The struck sergeant, meanwhile, was sent to a local hospital after getting shot multiple times in his lower body. The officer, who has 20-plus years of experience in the department, was considered to be in stable condition, Casto said.

Police are still trying to figure out how another person ended up dead inside a nearby home in the homicide case that the sergeant had been working on. It was not immediately known if the deceased ambush attacker was connected to the homicide investigation.

This officer-involved shooting is the first to occur this year.

A woman told The Bee she heard gunshots from inside her home and saw officers near her neighbor’s house with their guns drawn on the suspect.

Police said the area will be closed for an extended period of time.

This story was originally published October 26, 2024, 8:44 PM.