PLYMOUTH, Calif. — A man was fatally shot during an encounter with a highway patrol officer in Northern California, authorities said Friday.
The shooting occurred in Plymouth, a small town east of Sacramento. Authorities did not say specifically whether the officer shot the man, only that it it was officer-involved.
“We recognize that this is a tragic incident that impacts our community,” Matt Massod, lieutenant commander of the Amador California Highway Patrol office, said at a news conference. “We ask for everyone’s patience as we conduct the investigation.”
The officer responded Thursday evening to a report of a vehicle blocking part of a road in Amador County, the highway patrol said in a statement. When he arrived he turned on his emergency lights and saw a man pushing a pickup in the road, Massod said.
The man tried to aim the truck at the officer and the opposing traffic lane, according to Massod. While still in his patrol car, the officer told him multiple times to stop pushing the vehicle, but the man did not comply.
The officer positioned his own vehicle in the truck’s path to keep it from rolling into traffic, the lieutenant commander said, and the pickup collided with the patrol car.
The officer exited his car and engaged the subject, there was gunfire and the man, who was armed, was killed, authorities said. The officer was not hurt.
The names of the officer and the man who died were not disclosed.
California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident with oversight from the Amador County District Attorney’s office.