Clearlake man shot dead by police officer ID’d

A man shot and killed during a fight with a police officer was identified Friday as Joseph Louis Melvin, 46, of Clearlake, Lake County authorities said.

Melvin was shot by an officer investigating a burglary alarm set off at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday at a residence on Park Street near the eastern end of Bush Street on the outskirts of the Clearlake Park neighborhood, officials said.

District Attorney Don Anderson, releasing new details about the encounter, said the officer fired four or five shots at close range during a physical fight with Melvin.

Investigators suspect Melvin had grabbed the officer’s flashlight as the two men fought on the ground and hit the officer over the head several times before the officer fired his weapon, Anderson said.

The officer, who was treated at a hospital and released, has not been identified.

The encounter began shortly after the officer arrived at the home in response to the burglary alarm. He was the first to arrive, and a second officer was on the way, when he saw a man run from an area near the backyard of the house and across the narrow dirt road to a wooded lot, Anderson said. The officer chased after the man and found him.

“He initially looked like he was surrendering,” Anderson said. “The officer holstered his weapon, and then the guy attacked him.”

The men fought, falling to the ground, and the officer fired his gun after being hit over the head, according to Anderson. Details from the autopsy, including how many times Melvin was shot, weren’t available Friday.

Police later found that the house had been broken into, according to Anderson. The house had been burglarized in the past and the officers were aware of that when they were responding to the call, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com.