Man shot and killed by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies during Orangevale standoff

Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man Saturday night following a standoff at a home in Orangevale, authorities said.

It was unknown who fired first in the exchange, which is now under review.

Deputies responded around 4:15 p.m. to reports of a resident firing a gun in his backyard on the 8600 block of on Blythe Avenue. Neighbors voluntarily sheltered in place as deputies and the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team arrived, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities used drones and loudspeakers in an effort to de-escalate the situation and later made phone contact with the man. A sheriff’s spokesperson said the suspect was uncooperative, and the standoff began about 7:30 p.m.

Deputies and the suspect exchanged gunfire around 9:55 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office said. The man suffered at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was expected to be released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office in the coming days.

No deputies were injured, the Sheriff’s Office said.

As with other officer-involved shootings, the deputy who fired the fatal shot was placed on administrative leave as an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office’s professional standards division takes place. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will conduct its own review of the shooting, which is standard practice.

In the coming days, the Sheriff’s Office is expected to release a community briefing video that will include body camera footage and other information, in compliance with state law.

This was the first deputy-involved shooting of 2025 for the Sheriff’s Office and the first fatal encounter since the Sheriff’s Office changed its policy on responding to mental health calls.

Last month, Sheriff Jim Cooper announced deputies would continue to respond to calls classified as a “criminal mental health call,” while non-criminal calls would be directed to the county’s 988 mental health crisis line. The decision came after a court ruling last year that could put the Sheriff’s Office in legal jeopardy if someone dies. Cooper also said the policy was change because deputies weren’t adequately trained to help someone in a mental health crisis.

Last year, deputies were involved in five shootings, three of which were fatal and at least three of which originated as mental health calls.