The officer pursued and engaged the suspect despite being shot multiple times.
Officers were alerted to a ShotSpotter activation near Platt Avenue and Eighth Street at about 5:23 p.m. on Oct. 26.
The police sergeant attended the scene, and while he was sitting in his patrol car at about 6:25 p.m., a man drove up and opened fire, striking both the patrol car and the sergeant multiple times, before driving away, police said.
The sergeant activated his body camera to record a short pursuit for about one block until the suspect spun out and exited the vehicle. A gun battle ensued.
Two other officers arrived on the scene and also fired at the suspect, Casto said. The officers began providing first aid to the sergeant, including applying tourniquets to prevent him from losing blood. The officers also provided the suspect with first aid after taking him into custody.
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“Not only was [the suspect] firing rounds at him, he was repositioning himself multiple times, going to the ground, standing up, finding places of cover and concealment to prevent himself from being struck by gunfire, while the sergeant was engaging him,” Casto said.
Once the scene was secured, both the suspect and the sergeant were transported to the Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC). The suspect later died in hospital from his injuries.
Fresno police officers investigated the original ShotSpotter activation; they returned to the location of the initial shots and gained entry to a residence where they discovered the body of 43-year-old Mario Turner, Casto said.
“We located Mario inside with both gunshot wounds and stab wounds and a very vicious crime scene indeed,” she said. “We really don’t know what the conflict was on this particular day that resulted in Mario’s murder.”
The Fresno Police Department plans to release the body camera footage after investigations are completed. Casto says it shows the officers applying the tourniquet, reassuring the sergeant, keeping him conscious, and elevating his legs to prevent him from going into shock.
The injured sergeant is now recovering at home.
