Man wounded in deputy-involved shooting in Guerneville

A Guerneville man was shot Wednesday by a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy after pulling a gun while deputies talked to him about alleged threats to a neighbor, a department spokesman said.

Jeffrey David Singleton, 46, was shot on his second-floor balcony at Fife Creek Commons when he produced a gun in the midst of negotiations, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Miller said.

Deputies were aware Singleton had two young children in the apartment at the time, Miller said.

He was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Firefighters said he was shot in the shoulder.

Singleton’s sister, Kelley Singleton of Santa Rosa, said she was relieved to learn her brother was alive. She said a neighbor called to tell her he was shot.

“It’s a big shock,” she said. “I don’t really know a lot.”

The shooting was the second in a week involving Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies. Karen Janks, 46, was shot April 22 in Sebastopol after leading law enforcement in a pursuit and ramming into three deputies with her car. She died two days later.

On Wednesday, deputies were called to the Guerneville apartment complex on Fifth Street at about 2:40 p.m. after getting a report of a man acting erratically and threatening a neighbor with a knife, Miller said.

They tried to contact Singleton but he wouldn’t come out, instead talking to deputies from his balcony, Miller said.

As deputies negotiated with Singleton, he disappeared into his apartment and came out with a gun, Miller said.

A deputy fired an unknown number of bullets, striking Singleton, Miller said.

Miller would not release the deputy’s name. He said he was on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

Petaluma police will conduct the investigation under a countywide law enforcement agreement meant to ensure an impartial review.

About a dozen law enforcement vehicles were parked outside the multi-unit complex run by Burbank Housing. Yellow crime-scene tape blocked the stairwell leading to Singleton’s second-story unit.

The apartment manager declined to comment.

Several neighbors reported hearing gunfire. Ricky Valdez Garcia, 15, who lives at Fife Creek Commons with his family, said he heard at least five shots.

He said deputies told him later a man became upset after believing someone had stolen his motorcycle and then started waving a knife around. The teen said the man barricaded himself in his apartment when authorities arrived and fired a gun at them.

“He shot at the cops first. They had to shoot back,” he said.

Miller of the Sheriff’s Office wouldn’t comment on whether Singleton fired any shots.

Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman, who was among the first responders, said firefighters waited a block away while deputies cleared the scene. Neighbors streamed by, saying they heard the gunshots, he said.

“Everyone was running, telling us they heard shots fired,” Baxman said.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne. You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @eloisanews.