PORTERVILLE, CA — A man shot and killed a central California sheriff’s deputy Thursday morning while authorities were serving an eviction notice and hours later remained barricaded inside a home, authorities said.
Tulare County deputies were serving an eviction notice at a home in Porterville when a 60-year-old man opened fire on them, the department wrote on Facebook.
Sheriff Mike Boudreau said in an afternoon news conference that SWAT teams were clearing nearby homes and that the situation remained very dangerous. Residents were urged to shelter in place and nearby schools were closed.
Authorities say the man remains barricaded inside the home and is believed to be armed with a rifle, according to news station KFSN. I mentioned. Porterville is located about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the state’s Central Valley.
Boudreau said the man had failed to pay rent for 35 days and was expecting law enforcement to arrive to serve a final notice of eviction. Boudreau said he was “put on hold” and immediately fired at the officers when they arrived.
The deputy who was shot was among a group of officers who arrived to help after the shooting began, Boudreau said. He was taken to the hospital where he died.