Officers Responding to Suicide Threat Shoot, Kill Armed Man

Deputies mark evidence at the scene of a shooting in the back yard of a home on Medford Way in Menifee. (Photo by Kristen Spoon)

Menifee Police officers shot and killed a man in the back yard of a Menifee home this afternoon after the man, described as suicidal, pointed a handgun at officers, police said.

According to Deputy Albert Martinez, police responded at 4:51 to the report of a suicide threat in the 27000 block of Medford Way in the Sun City senior community of Menifee. A Sheriff's Department helicopter located a man in the back yard of the residence, bordering the 12th tee of the North Golf Course. When officers' commands to the suspect from the front of the house were ignored, they proceeded to the back yard, where they located a man holding a handgun.

"The officers gave numerous verbal commands to put down the weapon," Martinez said. "He did not do so. At one point, he pointed the weapon in the officers' direction and officers fired."

Martinez did not have information about how many officers fired upon the man. No officers were injured.

The identity of the man has not been released. According to Martinez, no one else was found in the home. Neighbors said they believe the man lived alone. One neighbor said the man had recently gone through a divorce, but that has not been confirmed.

Streets in the quiet senior neighborhood just south of Chambers Avenue west of Interstate 215 were blocked off and some residents returning to their homes on Harrisburg Drive weren't allowed inside for hours. Investigators remained on scene well into the evening, gathering evidence and preparing to remove the body.

Nicole Farrell lives a few doors down the street on Harrisburg Drive. She said she and her husband were inside their home when they heard a police helicopter hovering overhead for several minutes.

"My husband kept hearing them say, 'Give yourself up,' Farrell said. We looked out and saw police lurking around down on the corner."

Another neighbor, who asked not to be named, said she saw police in front of the home, issuing warnings to someone she couldn't see. The officers then moved toward the back of the property and she heard several shots being fired.

Investigators went door to door in the neighborhood, seeking witnesses. Some in the 55+ community appeared to be either away from home or already in bed. A woman living next door to the scene of the shooting was allowed back into her home about 9 p.m. so she could care for her sick dog. Other residents were still being directed to park down the street.

The shooting occurred behind this home, located where Medford Way turns into Harrisburg Drive on an L-shaped street.