A chaplain watches as police officers meet at the scene of a shooting at Truxel Avenue and Terracina Drive in Natomas on Thursday. Photo by Bryan Patrick
By Chelsea Phua and Queenie Wong
cphua@sacbee.com
Sacramento County coroner's officials have identified the man killed in an officer-involved shooting this morning in Natomas as Zachary J. Ragan, 42, pictured at right.
The fatal shooting happened about 10 a.m. in North Natomas, when Sacramento police officers stopped Ragan, who matched the description of a suspect in a Wednesday night assault.
When Ragan charged at police with a sharp object in his hand, officers fired and killed him, authorities said.
Leong said one of the five Sacramento officers involved is a 28-year veteran. Years of service for the others range from one to six.
Leong said Sacramento police believe the dead man was the same suspect who allegedly assaulted a 17-year-old boy Wednesday night.
Police said the man threatened and held a knife to the throat of the teen, who was attending a church-related youth group function in the 4700 block of Crest Drive.
According to a police log, the assailant was described as a white man between 40 to 60 years old, about 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing 180 pounds, unshaven with a mustache and appeared to be a transient.
It's not clear why he attacked the teen, but Leong said he appeared to be intoxicated.
On Thursday morning, five police officers patrolling the area near Terracina Drive and Truxel Road spotted a man matching the suspect's description and stopped him.
Police said they noticed he was carrying a hard object with a sharp point that resembled the blade of a knife and ordered him to drop the weapon. They also tried to talk to him and calm him down, but he mentioned numerous times that he was not going back to prison and was not going to drop his weapon.
Officers shot him with a stun gun, but he quickly got up from the ground and lunged at them.
"Officers were in fear for their safety and each of them fired their duty weapons," a news release stated.
Two witnesses at the Tuscaro Apartments near the shooting said they heard what sounded like rapid gunshots or fireworks.
Police later determined that the man they shot was wanted on a $1 million warrant from out of state for assault with a knife.
Read more:
The Public Eye: BJS releases prison/jail/arrest mortality stats
Photo of Regan provided by Butte County Sheriff's Office
Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.
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