Two Yuba County Sheriff's deputies are on paid administrative leave after fatally shooting a man on Monday, but the department is not saying why at least one officer fired their weapon.
A spokesperson says the deputies had responded to a call in the town of Linda, where a man allegedly was beating an elderly man and also stole his cane. The department says a person matching the suspect’s description was located nearby, and that at least one officer fired.
"The details as to how many shots were fired and who fired is all going to be part of the officer-involved shooting investigation, which is still active and ongoing,” spokeswoman Leslie Carbah said.
The department did not identify the officers, other than that one has 16 years of experience and the other three. The elderly man was treated by paramedics at the scene. The man reported his cane stolen and said he did not know his attacker.
The department identified the suspect as Jahmal Derrick Stewart, who Carbah says was homeless. The department has not identified Stewart’s race nor has it said whether he was armed.
Yuba County Sheriff Wendell Anderson says he is unaware of many of the details pertaining to the incident because both deputies have not yet been interviewed.
“Government Code 3300: Basically, it says any interview with those officers, they’ll be given time to prepare,” Anderson said. “We are looking out for our folks while we are also considering the mental health of our employees.”
One deputy was interviewed this afternoon by the investigative team. The other is scheduled to be interviewed in the morning.
Anderson said he hopes to release more information about the shooting tomorrow.
Yuba County and Sutter County have a team that investigates shootings in both counties, and
Sutter will take the lead on this investigation.
"When it occurs on our side of the county line, the Sutter County agencies take the lead in that so we aren't investigating our own individuals," Carbah said.
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