Fatal Shooting By Deputy In Rancho Mirage: Brief Video Released

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA — Brief video footage taken from a body-worn camera was released Monday by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, intended to make public details on the fatal Aug. 7 shooting by a deputy of a suspect in Rancho Mirage.

The few seconds of released footage was culled from a camera worn by a deputy who was allegedly attacked that afternoon by 33-year-old Jeffery Monroy.

The Cathedral City resident was fatally shot by the deputy after he came after the law enforcement officer with a screwdriver — stabbing him multiple times in the torso, neck and head, Sheriff Chad Bianco said.

The deputy was responding to a suspicious person call about 2:45 p.m. in the 70000 block of Tamarisk Lane, near Palm View Road. A female who was in her pool at the time said a man entered her backyard and asked to use her phone.

When the deputy got on scene, he saw two men standing near a vehicle — one of them matching the suspect description, according to Bianco.

The deputy approached the men, when one of them — later identified as Monroy — came at him with a screwdriver, Bianco said.

"[The deputy] was able to remove himself from the attack long enough to draw his gun, stopping the attack and killing the suspect," Bianco said at the time of the incident. "Thank God the deputy did exactly what he should have done under the circumstances."

The deputy was hospitalized for his injuries, according to Bianco.

Per the department's policy in shootings involving its personnel, the deputy was placed on paid administrative leave. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office and the sheriff's department are reviewing the incident.