A Turlock Police officer shot a man early Wednesday morning during a response to a call of a suspicious person.
The man, who was identified as Corey Pollard, 37, of Turlock, sustained one non-life-threatening gunshot wound and is being treated at a local hospital, said Turlock Police spokeswoman Dominique Sanchez.
The officer that fired the shot was not injured.
At 5:06 a.m. Wednesday the police department received a call of a suspicious person in the 900 block of Vermont Avenue. The caller stated the man was looking into vehicles.
The first officer arrived at the scene and attempted to make contact with Pollard, who fled on foot. As the second officer arrived on-scene, the officers ordered Pollard to comply, but he did not.
“The suspect presented an object in a threatening manner,” said Sanchez in news release. “At that moment, an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
Pollard sustained a single gunshot wound to the right shoulder. The two officers on scene immediately started rendering first aid to Pollard until Turlock Fire and AMR arrived. Pollard was medically treated on-scene before being transferred to a Modesto area hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
Pollard has since been released and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center for resisting arrest and assault on a peace officer.
“The object that was in Pollard’s possession was recovered at the scene and has been seized as evidence,” Sanchez said.
The police department has not stated if the item taken as evidence was a weapon or not.
The name of the officer who fired the single shot has not yet been released by the police department. He has 10 years of experience in law enforcement.
As standard protocol, the officer has been placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation is conducted.
“Additional information will be provided as it is our commitment to our community to preserve transparency and trust,” Sanchez said.
“We are thankful our officers were not harmed in this situation and we pray for the continued safety of all our officers,” said Turlock Police Chief Jason Hedden. “Our investigation is expected to continue over the next few weeks and we’ll await further details as the investigation unfolds.”
The neighborhood was closed off for several hours during the ensuing investigation.
Oddly enough, this was the second time Pollard has been shot by a police officer. In 2015, Pollard, who was 28 at the time, was shot multiple times by a senior Oakland Police officer.
According to an SFGate.com article on the incident, the officer and the rookie he was training, were flagged down by Pollard’s mother, who told them her son was armed with a knife and was acting erratically.
The officers told Pollard to repeatedly put down the knife but he refused. At one point he lunged at them with the knife in what was described as a “threatening manner” and the senior officer shot him multiple times.
Family members told SFGate.com that Pollard had a history of mental illness.
The police department confirmed that the Pollard from the Oakland shooting is the same Pollard from the Turlock incident.
The Turlock Police Department asks that anyone with information, call Detective Brandon Bertram at (209) 664-7323. You can also contact the Turlock Police Department’s Tip Line at (209) 668-5550 extension 6780 or email at tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
The Turlock Police Department is an active participant in the Crime Stoppers Program. Callers can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636 or (866) 602-7463 and you may be eligible for a cash reward. You can also leave an anonymous tip online at www.stancrimetips.org or by texting “StanCS” to 738447. The P3 app is also available for download for Apple and Android devices.
