STOCKTON, CA – At least one San Joaquin County Deputy’s shooting death of a man who may have been armed is now under investigation by the California Dept. of Justice, according to a report published by KCRA News.
The shooting took place Monday right outside the Stockton city limit. The KCRA report states that it is uncertain whether the man was truly armed or not.
KCRA said the family and friends of the man killed are looking for answers into what happened to 41-year-old Gregory Fitzgerald, a father of four.
According to the report, deputies made contact with Fitzgerald at Eastside Community Park regarding illegal dumping, with a department spokesperson telling KCRA, “Words were exchanged and a small struggle ensued with the officer and they took off running and began yelling that he had a firearm and that he was going to shoot the officer.”
Fitzgerald reportedly was found on a roof of a home, and was shot by at least one deputy, but it is unknown how many times he was shot or by how many deputies, said KCRA.
But, KCRA reported a woman with Fitzgerald when the deputies arrived said, “They said that he was…digging through trash…and I was with him when it happened and he was getting clothes out for work…he wasn’t just like digging through trash.”
The KCRA NEWS report details the shock the man’s sisters felt after the incident, and they stated, “We were both at work when we were told, and (they) just let us know that the police had shot and killed our brother. How did it lead to that and why did they have to use so much force for one person? There was no weapon in sight. I don’t understand.”
According to KCRA, the question of whether or not Fitzgerald was armed still remains, with the sheriff’s office unable to answer it.
