SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - The Shasta County District Attorney's Office said a deadly officer-involved shooting has been justified.
On February 11, 2019, Redding police officers responded to a call of a suspicious person with a gun on Churn Creek Road and Arizona Street.
The man was described as pushing a baby stroller and acting irrationally by witnesses.
Officers located the person matching the witnesses' description. Officers said Phayvanh Inthavong ran away from Officers and into a home with five people inside. An adult male, three adult females, and a 12-year-old boy. Through interviews, the occupants in the house said none of them were familiar with Inthavong.
The occupants described Inathavong as speaking "gibberish," acting aggressively and irrationally. He physically assaulted the 12-year-old boy, wrestling him to the ground and causing minor injuries, the district attorney's office said in a press release.
The house occupants believed that Inthavong was attempting to take them as hostages, however, they were eventually able to escape out of the house through the front and back doors, officers said.
When Redding police arrived at the house, an officer said he could see into the house. The officer took cover behind his police vehicle. From his vantage point, he could see Inthavong running around inside the home in an "erratic" manner.
Officers reported eventually Invathong came outside and pointed a gun at officers.
In response, officers fired at Invathong and killed him.
The district attorney's office said that Inthavong posed a clear threat to officers and the public.