On Nov. 25 at approximately 9:14 a.m., the Los Banos Police Department responded to a call from a residence in the 100 block of H Street near Second Street to investigate a report of a male trespassing in the back yard.
According to a press release from Los Banos Police Chief Ray Reyna, the caller reported seeing an adult male enter their backyard and reported they did not know the suspect.
When the first officer arrived, he located an adult male in the backyard, as described by the reporting person, in possession of a handgun, waving it around. A second officer arrived and during the course of the contact, officers shot the suspect at least once. Reyna confirmed that the suspect’s handgun was a real firearm. He also confirmed that the officers involved are on paid administrative leave during the investigation which is standard procedure.
Officers attempted to provide medical aid to the suspect until paramedics arrived. The suspect was pronounced deceased a short time later by medical staff. No officers were injured during the incident.
The Los Banos Police Department is investigating the incident, in cooperation with the Merced County District Attorney’s office and the California Department of Justice. Reyna said that the identity of the suspect has not been confirmed with the Merced County Coroner’s Office, but Reyna suspects he was a local transient who lives somewhere in the area.
The last Los Banos Police officer involved shooting was July 11, 2018, near the Los Banos Community Center.
Officers were called to the area on that date to investigate a report of a man with a gun around 12:22 p.m.. The man was shot once in the abdomen by one of the officers after the man ignored police orders and reached for the weapon he had in his waistline. The man was taken to an area hospital where he later died. Investigators determined that the weapon was a replica gun that was painted black.
Prior to the 2018 incident, an officer-involved shooting took place on July 31, 2017, at an apartment on Gilbert Gonzalez, Jr. Drive.
Two Los Banos Police officers struggled with a male suspect in an apartment.
During the struggle a shooting occurred where both officers and the suspect were shot.
The officers survived, but the male suspect died.
