Red Bluff police kill suspect in shootout at apartment complex, department says
Police shot and killed a suspect who fired at officers multiple times during a standoff in Red Bluff early Wednesday morning. No officers were hurt, authorities said.
The officer-involved shooting happened on Vista Way in Red Bluff around 1:15 a.m., when officers responded to the Meadow Vista apartment complex regarding an altercation, the Red Bluff Police Department said in a news release.
On Thursday, police identified the man as Alex Francisco Vazquez, 38, of Red Bluff.
Officers attempted to contact Vazquez involved in that altercation, but the suspect “attacked by firing an undetermined number of rounds from a handgun at the officers,” the news release said.
One of the officers “returned fire and struck the suspect,” who fell to the ground but continued to hold the gun and refused to comply with further orders, the department said.
Police attempted negotiations with the subject for more than 90 minutes at that point, with no success.
A team of four officers then used a “ballistic shield” in an effort to take Vazquez into custody. Vazquez again fired at the approaching officers, and two different Red Bluff Police officers shot him. Vazquez was fatally wounded, succumbing to injuries at a hospital after unsuccessful life-saving measures by police and medics, according to the news release.
The three officers who fired at Vazquez have been placed on paid leave in accordance with protocol, and will be identified by the Police Department at a later time.
The Tehama County District Attorney’s Office and Red Bluff Police Department will each investigate the officer-involved shooting, the news release said.
According to the Record Searchlight in Redding, police said Thursday that Vazquez was wanted by the FBI on a federal warrant alleging possessing of controlled substances with the intent to distribute. He was also considered armed and dangerous, the Record Searchlight reported.
Police told the newspaper they are still going through video of the incident to provide a more detailed account of what happened during the incident.
This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 11:09 AM.
