Police shoot, kill man in Sanger
SANGER- Police shot and killed a possibly suicidal man on Friday afternoon after he refused to listen to officers’ commands.
Around 3 p.m. on June 15, the Sanger Police Department received a call from a man who claimed to be armed and indicated that he intended to commit suicide. The call was traced to a home in the 1100 block of N Street.
When the officers arrived on the scene, the man, identified as 46-year-old Charles Salinas, ran away and hid behind an AutoZone store located on the corner of 11th Street and Academy Avenue. At least three officers pursued the suspect.
The shooting took place behind this Autozone in Sanger
“The officers made contact with him in the parking lot, he was hiding in bushes,” said Chris Curtice, spokesperson for the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The officers told the man to come out into the open several times, but he refused.
“At some point, there was some action made by the suspect and the officers did shoot,” Curtice said.
Witnesses near the scene said they heard around 30 shots fired.
Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and tried to revive Salinas, but he died, according to authorities. Investigators think the incident may have been a police officer-assisted suicide.
The sheriff’s office has taken over the investigation. They have not revealed whether the suspect was armed or what threatening actions he might have made toward the officers involved in the shooting.
This is the second officer-involved shooting in Sanger this year. The first one took place outside a McDonald’s in March when Fresno police officers shot and killed a man.
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