PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) — A man is dead after the Tulare County Sheriff’s office says he attacked a deputy, leading the deputy to open fire Tuesday afternoon in Porterville.
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office says its Homeless Enforcement Assistance Response Team (HEART) was conducting a routine patrol on the Northeast side of the Tule River near the Plano Bridge on Monday when authorities noticed a man trespassing on private property.
When deputies tried to talk to the man, he ran off.
Members of HEART returned to the area to reach out to the trespasser around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
When they found him, the man ran off again and hid in the trees, where he may have been living.
One of the deputies tried to talk to the man and get him to come out. The man refused and became violent.
The Deputy used his taser but it did not stop the suspect.
The man then grabbed a long piece of wood and swung it at the deputy, hitting him. He went for another swing and that’s when the deputy took out his gun and fired.
The suspect died at the scene and has not been identified.
The Porterville Police Department is handling the investigation into the shooting.
The deputy will be placed on administrative leave.
Listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
