Officer Involved Shooting

On 10/14/2020, at approximately 7:30 pm, Chico Police Dispatch Center began receiving 911calls from citizens at Martin Luther King Jr. Park reporting a man brandishing a knife and threatening parkgoers.  Several Chico Police Officers were dispatched to the scene.  Officers arrived and began looking for the suspect who was described as a white male in his 30’s.  As officers conducted an area check, Chico Police received additional calls the suspect was now near the intersection of E. 20^th St. and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway holding the knife.  Citizens reported the suspect had damaged their vehicles with the knife. As officers began checking the area, the suspect was located at Petco actively causing a disturbance.

At some point after the officer’s arrival, gunshots were fired by two Chico Police Officers.  The suspect, whose identity is being withheld pending the investigation and notification to next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene after life saving efforts were attempted.  The officers involved in the shooting were not injured.

Chico Police Chief Matt Madden has invoked the Butte County Officer Involved Shooting Protocol Team to take over the investigation.  That team, which is led by Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, is comprised of experienced investigators from multiple Butte County Law Enforcement agencies and will lead an independent investigation into the facts of the case.  The Chico Police Department is cooperating with the investigation.  As standard protocol, the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Any further inquiries regarding this case should be directed to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office.

Location: 1900 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway

Chico, CA – 

Chief Matt Madden

10/14/20     2230 Hours.