Sheriff’s Office gives new details in fatal shooting of barricaded Orangevale man
New details of a deadly officer-involved shooting following a standoff in Orangevale were released Monday by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Kenneth Vaughn, 67, was shot and killed by deputies late Saturday, hours after barricading himself in his home in the 8600 block of Blythe Avenue. The Sheriff’s Office in a statement said Vaughn fired a shot at deputies from inside the house. A deputy returned fire, hitting Vaughn in the torso. Vaughn later died from the gunshot.
The Sheriff’s Office said the call was not categorized as a mental health crisis. However, the incident unfolded as the agency continues to adjust its response to such emergencies under a new policy that limits when deputies respond. Criminal calls with potential mental health elements are still handled by deputies, while non-criminal ones are referred to the county’s 988 crisis line.
Sheriff Jim Cooper has said the change to responding to mental health calls came in response to legal concerns and because deputies are not adequately trained to handle such crises. In 2024, at least three of the Sheriff’s Office’s five shootings involved mental health calls.
The Sheriff’s Office on Monday said deputies were first called about 4:15 p.m. Saturday by a neighbor who said Vaughn was firing a weapon in his backyard. It wasn’t the first time. The neighbor said Vaughn fired a round through their fence and into their pool the previous week, but the neighbor did not report that to authorities.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Amar Gandhi said deputies had been to the address for previous incidents.
Deputies tried calling Vaughn by phone and evacuated residents. Others sheltered in their homes and, by 6:30 p.m., armored sheriff’s vehicles were posted outside Vaughn’s home and negotiators took place with Vaughn over the phone. The Orangevale man told negotiators he was alone and armed, but that mobility issues kept him from leaving the house to surrender to waiting deputies.
The Sheriff’s Office said Vaughn opened his front door minutes later and briefly spoke to deputies, telling them again of his mobility issues and asking them to meet him at the door. By 7:30 p.m., Vaughn cut off negotiators, closing the door and curtains for his final standoff.
Deputies now had search warrants for Vaughn’s weapon, orders to arrest the Orangevale man and a call in to a sheriff’s SWAT team to assist as negotiators once again reached Vaughn.
But sheriff’s officials in their statement Monday said Vaughn continued to hold out and threatened to fire on deputies.
Vaughn “still refused to cooperate and surrender peacefully. (Sheriff’s negotiators) continued to speak to Vaughn for hours, imploring him to exit his residence and surrender peacefully, but he refused, making repeated threats to shoot deputies,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
The ordeal ended with the fatal exchange of gunfire about 9:50 p.m., more than five hours after the first call to deputies. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel pronounced Vaughn dead at the scene.
The deputy who fired the fatal shot has been placed on administrative leave.
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.
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