Police have identified the man killed Tuesday morning in an officer-involved shooting in Paso Robles as Steven Adam Calderon, 32, of Los Angeles.
At about 1:15 a.m., police say Calderon was shot by SWAT officers after an hours-long standoff when he refused to surrender and reached for his handgun.
It happened at the Dry Creek Apartments in the 2400 block of Branch Creek Circle in Paso Robles.
On Monday, July 5, at approximately 4 p.m., police were dispatched to the apartment complex after they received reports of gunfire. According to police, Calderon had discharged a firearm from the apartment's balcony and pointed the gun at his girlfriend, threatening to shoot her.
Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis said he requested the assistance of the San Luis Obispo Regional SWAT team due to the high-risk situation. Several apartment buildings were evacuated as well.
Chief Lewis said Calderon had barricaded himself in an apartment and refused to comply with officers. He was armed with a gun and reportedly fired several shots at officers while they tried to negotiate with him.
"Mr. Calderon, instead of engaging in any kind of dialogue, emerged from the house several different times and fired several shots at the police officers and the SWAT team from a handgun," Lewis explained.
He said tear gas and other chemical agents were deployed to try to get Calderon out of the apartment, but the standoff lasted more than nine hours.
"There was an exchange of gunfire at several points during that evening with the suspect initiating those shots each and every time," Lewis said.
Eventually, Chief Lewis said Calderon came out of the apartment, set the gun down on a porch and began talking with SWAT officers.
"However, at one point, the suspect lunged towards the gun and he was fatally struck by gunfire from the SWAT team," he said.
Chief Lewis said that after Calderon was shot, SWAT medics and Paso Robles Emergency Services provided immediate aid but ultimately, Calderon succumbed to his injuries.
No officers or community members were injured in the shooting.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office is reportedly supporting the District Attorney's Office in the investigation and review of the shooting.
Two Paso Robles Police Department officers and one San Luis Obispo Police Department officer are on administrative leave as a result of the shooting investigation.
