Man shot by Modesto police dies; officers had been called to family disturbance

A man shot by a Modesto police officer following a family disturbance call Thursday night died of his injuries, authorities said.

Officers responded to the 1400 block of Entrada Way, northeast of Orangeburg Avenue and Oakdale Road, around 5:38 p.m.

Modesto Police did not say what the family disturbance was about, how many people were involved or whether anyone had a weapon.

“When officers arrived, they located the adult male subject referenced in the call to dispatch in the front yard of a residence,” according to a press release. “When officers contacted the subject he was uncooperative and during the interaction with him an officer-involved shooting occurred.”

The man was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Modesto Police would not say how many officers responded to the call and how many fired. The names of neither the officer nor the man shot were released.

In radio traffic of the incident, a dispatcher relays that a 911 caller is reporting a family member is, “Trying to rip off screens from windows.” The 911 caller says they are going to get a gun, according to the traffic.

About six minutes later, the dispatcher says the caller reported the man had armed himself with a “truck hitch.” An officer responds that he is near the scene and waiting for backup.

A few minutes later an officer tells the dispatcher he has “one at gunpoint” who is being “uncooperative.” About a minute after that, an officer asks for an ambulance to respond to the scene immediately, according to the radio traffic.

Modesto Police would not comment about the radio traffic or provide any other details beyond what was in the press release.

“In order to protect the integrity of the investigation at this early stage, we will not be releasing any additional information,” the press release says.

Krystal Ewart, who lives next door to the family, confirmed the incident took place on her front porch. She said she and her family were at the Stanislaus County Fair at the time of the shooting.

But Ewart said the surveillance camera in her front yard recorded the shooting. She said police took the footage as evidence.

Ewart said she viewed the footage but declined to comment because the police asked her not to and out of respect of her neighbors’ wishes.

“They would like to come forward when they are ready,” she said about her neighbors.

The Modesto Police Department said it will be releasing body worn camera footage and other relevant evidence in a community briefing video in the coming weeks.

This is the second officer-involved shooting by Modesto Police this month.

On July 4 an officer shot a man authorities say had a deadly weapon and attacked the officer. The man’s family said he was in a mental health crisis and needed help. That man survived and was charged with attempted murder.

Bee staff writer Kevin Valine contributed to this report.