2 Men Killed In Separate Police Shootings: Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two men were fatally wounded over the weekend in separate shootings involving law enforcement, officials reported.

The first occurred around 7:30 p.m. Friday in unincorporated Perris after Riverside County sheriff's deputies responded to a family disturbance near the 22000 block of Margarth Street, where a man was allegedly attacking a victim with a crowbar during an argument.

By the time deputies arrived, they found the suspect in a nearby field with the crowbar and ordered him to drop the tool. The man did not comply and a Taser was used on him, but it was ineffective, according to the sheriff's department.

The man came toward one of the deputies with the crowbar in his hand, leading one deputy to fire his gun on the suspect, the sheriff's department reported.

The man was hospitalized but died from his injuries. No deputies were injured.

The victim of the crowbar attack did not require medical treatment, according to the sheriff's department.

The suspect's name has not yet been released.

The deputy who shot and killed the man is being placed on administrative leave per sheriff's department policy, and an investigation into the fatal incident was being launched.

"An investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will lead this investigation, aided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Force Investigations Detail," according to the sheriff's department.

In a separate incident Saturday, Riverside police fatally shot a homeless man who allegedly pulled a gun on officers south of downtown Riverside.

The shooting happened around 8:20 a.m. when officers attempted to contact 34-year-old Felix Jerry Marquez in the 3700 block of Elizabeth Street, according to Officer Ryan Railsback, a spokesman for the Riverside Police Department.

The officers were part of the department's Public Safety Engagement Team, which also consists of social workers and a code enforcement officer. Railsback said the team often checks the area because it is commonly frequented by people experiencing homelessness.

The officers approached Marquez while the other city employees stayed behind in the patrol vehicle, according to Railsback. Marquez began walking away before allegedly turning around, pulling out a handgun and pointing it at the officers.

"An officer-involved shooting then occurred. The suspect was taken to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries and died," Railsback said.

A records check determined Marquez had outstanding felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants.
No one else was injured in the shooting.

Police said a handgun was found next to where Marquez was shot.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department will lead the investigation into the shooting.