One dead in Eureka officer-involved shooting

An investigation is under way after police shot and killed a man Tuesday in Eureka.

An officer fired at the man after the suspect reached for a gun around 11 p.m., according to the Eureka Police Department. Police said the man had been involved in an argument when officers, who had been looking for two individuals wanted on felony warrants, spotted him on Allard Street.

The wounded man, whose name has not been released, was transported by paramedics to Saint Joseph’s Hospital where he later was pronounced dead, police said.

It remains unclear whether he was one of the two people officers initially were searching for, Sgt. Steve Watson said.

The Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team, which includes detectives from the sheriff’s office, district attorney, Eureka and Arcata police and the California Department of Justice, is heading the investigation. They were out on the scene this morning looking into the shooting, Watson said.

He said the officer, whose name has not been released, yet, has been put on paid administrative leave - a standard procedure after a officer-involved shooting. He’s been a police officer for 13 years.

“We know this is an emotional event for the community and department,” Watson said. “We intend to be forthcoming as possible with the facts of this investigation. But we’re in the early-investigation process. ... We’ll release the information as we get it.”

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com.