Juanita Hernandez lives in a Central Fresno neighborhood where she hears gunshots every other night. But last night, she heard two followed by sirens.
"I was asleep and I heard the gunshots. I turned off the TV, I didn't come outside cause I had everything locked," she said.
Hernandez heard an officer involved shooting that took place just a few blocks away from her home. Police Chief Jerry Dyer said one of his officers was forced to shoot and kill a man armed with a 12 inch kitchen knife.
Dyer said the man, now identified as 29-year-old Albert Sanchez, was acting suspicious and attacking an occupied vehicle when officers confronted him near Belmont and Abbey. He said one officer was able to get his attention but he refused to put the knife down.
"The officer retreated behind the patrol car. At that point the suspect started running toward the officer and the officer fired at the suspect multiple times."
Sanchez was hit multiple times and he died at the scene. Hernandez and her neighbor Tamala Wayfer said police did the right thing.
"Maybe he was coming to hurt somebody else. I'm glad that they did control the situation," Wayfer said.
This is the city's first fatal officer involved shooting of the year.
TXT 24
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