Sonoma County sheriff's deputy fatally shoots man who damaged home, asked resident to shoot him

A Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy on Friday morning fatally shot a man who damaged a home, was confronted by residents and asked one of them to shoot him, authorities said.

The shooting, which is being investigated by the Santa Rosa Police Department, took place in the 5600 block of Thomas Road in a rural area east of Healdsburg and north of Windsor.

The man was armed with a weapon that was recovered and remained at the scene, which was still active as of 6 p.m. Friday, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Chris Mahurin said.

Details on the exact type of weapon weren’t available.

The shooting capped off a series of events that began just before 8:30 a.m. Friday directly east of Healdsburg.

According to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified the man had thrown a rock into the window of a home in the 5200 block of Tre Monte Lane.

He stole a truck at the scene, drove through several cattle gates and fled after being confronted by residents.

That was when he asked one of them to shoot him.

Sheriff’s deputies found the truck less than a mile to the west on Tre Monte. They determined he had stolen an ATV and tracked him about 2 miles east to Thomas Road.

A search lasted more than an hour before deputies found the man and ordered him to drop his weapon. He refused and, at one point, appeared to charge the deputies, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The deputies continued to order the man to drop his weapon before one of them deployed a stun gun. It was ineffective and the other deputy shot the man at 10:03 a.m., officials said.

A paramedic was airlifted to the scene and the man was pronounced dead at 10:29 a.m.

The investigation appeared to focus on private property identified by a sign as Franz Creek Ranch. It’s at the end of Thomas Road and traffic wasn’t affected.

Sheriff’s deputies had blocked access to the property and investigators were expected to be there into Friday night.

The scene is about 6 miles north of Windsor in a rural area with scattered homes, vineyards and horse ranches.

Staff at a winery on Thomas Road said they saw a number of law enforcement vehicles rushing to the street, which is typically quiet.

“We are confused. We are just in shock over here,” said Justin Anderson, an employee at the winery.

Neither deputy was injured and both have been placed on administrative leave per protocol, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Juan Valencia said.

Officials are expected to release the names of the man and deputies next week, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Santa Rosa police investigators are expected to issue more details Saturday and the Marin County Coroner's Office will be conducting an autopsy next week.

County protocol requires an outside agency to look into a department’s in-custody deaths.

Earlier this year, for example, the Sheriff’s Office completed an investigation into the November 2021 death of a man who died during an encounter with Santa Rosa police officers.

Jordan Pas was under the influence of drugs when officers deployed stun guns to subdue him and he later died. The Sheriff’s Office investigation is being reviewed by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8511 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.