A teenager who pointed a loaded weapon at a Turlock Police officer was shot and killed Monday morning.
The Turlock Police Department identified the deceased as Alejandro Hernandez, 19, of Turlock.
Hernandez was shot once in the torso by a Turlock Police officer and died a short time later at a local hospital.
Police department spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis said the department has had prior contacts with Hernandez, but did not elaborate on the details of those contacts.
The TPD has not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting.
The incident began at 11:30 a.m. when a female resident in the neighborhood of Nikki Ann Way called the Turlock Police Department dispatch to report a group of suspicious people in the neighborhood. The woman told dispatch she thought the group may be casing a house to burglarize, Lewis said.
Several officers responded to the scene and located the subjects at the corner of Nikki Ann Way and N. Tully Road.
According to the police department, Hernandez pointed a loaded handgun at the officer and the officer “fired his handgun in response to the threat,” Lewis said.
Hernandez’s handgun was recovered at the scene.
Witnesses, including the three other subjects, were questioned at the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office is investigating it as well.
Lewis said the officer has been put on paid administrative leave, which is the standard protocol.
Two-story homes with well-maintained yards line most of Nikki Ann Way and the bustling freeway is at the end of the street. The block where the shooting occurred has seen two auto thefts in the last month and a half, according to police records.
The last officer involved shooting in Turlock took place in 2005 when a suspect shot and wounded an officer and was shot and killed by another officer.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Jason Tosta at 668-5550 ext. 6624.