Man killed in officer-involved shooting in Northern California

PLYMOUTH, California — A man was fatally shot during an encounter with a highway patrol officer in Northern California, authorities said Friday.

The shooting took place in Plymouth, a small town east of Sacramento. Authorities did not say specifically whether the officer shot the man, only that it was an officer.

“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 truck onto the road, Massod said.

According to Massod, the man tried to point the truck at the officer and into the opposite lane. While still in his patrol car, the officer told him several times to stop pushing the vehicle, but the man did not comply.

The officer placed his own vehicle in the truck’s path to prevent it from rolling into traffic, the lieutenant commander said, and the pickup collided with the patrol car.

The officer got out of his car and attacked the suspect. Shots were fired and the man, who was armed, was killed, authorities said. The officer was not injured.

The names of the officer and the deceased man have not been released.

California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident under the supervision of the Amador County District Attorney’s office.