The Sheriff’s Department has identified the man who was killed in an hours-long SWAT standoff Tuesday as Jacob Cato, 34, of Morongo Valley. Deputies were called to Cato’s home in the 53500 block of 29 Palms Highway in Morongo Valley about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday by a neighbor who said that Cato was firing a gun toward his house. When deputies arrived, they heard shots being fired, and a few minutes later, Cato walked to the front of the house.
When deputies issued commands to Cato, he barricaded himself inside his house and refused to come out and ignored all communication with deputies. A SWAT team and Specialized Enforcement Detail was called in to assist with the barricade and negotiations. Just before 1:30 p.m. Jacob Cato walked outside and pointed a gun at deputies and at least one deputy fired at Cato, injuring him. Medical personnel pronounced him deceased at the scene. The Riverside County coroner will conduct an autopsy.
