The Sheriff’s Department has released additional information about the deputy-involved shooting following an hours-long standoff in Morongo Valley Tuesday. According to the Sheriff’s Department, deputies went to the home of Jacob Cato, 34, after a neighbor called about 8:15 Tuesday morning to report that Cato was firing a gun toward his home in the 53500 block of 29 Palms Highway. When deputies arrived, they heard shots being fired, followed by Cato walking to the front of the house. When Cato saw the deputies, he barricaded himself in the house. Deputies called in a helicopter and a SWAT team, along with a Specialized Enforcement Detail to assist with the negotiations. Investigators have since learned that Cato fired shots at the Sheriff’s helicopter as it flew over his home, and filmed the incident, saying the shots were “warning shots to get that helicopter out of this airspace.” About 1:30 p.m. Cato walked out of his home and pointed his gun at deputies and fired it; the deputies returned fire. Jacob Cato was pronounced dead at the scene.
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT RELEASES MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DEPUTY-INVOLVED SHOOTING IN MORONGO VALLEY
