FRESNO, Calif. – Shortly after 12:00 P.M. on January 13, 2022, officers from the Southwest Policing District responded to a call of multiple windows being broken out at the historic Meux Home Museum located at R Street and Tulare Street. The 9-1-1 caller reported that the male suspect was pacing around outside the museum holding a six-inch knife. Two officers arrived at the location and found the man at the back door. This encounter resulted in an officer-involved shooting. The suspect in the case, 26-year-old Edgar Morfin Mendoza, was shot by the officers and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“When our officers respond to calls for service in the community, the intentions and motivations of the parties involved are never truly known. The daily encounters our officers make can escalate in the blink of an eye, forcing them into split-second decisions. Our officers’ number one priority is the protection of life, all life. Sadly, some incidents put our officers in a position to have to use deadly force. Your police department diligently trains and prepares its officers for these types of encounters so they may defend themselves and the community they proudly serve.” – Chief Paco Balderrama
The incident will be fully investigated and the findings will be handed over to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, Internal Affairs, and the Office of Independent Review.
FPD
