Merced police say armed robbery suspect killed by officers. Here’s what we know

A man was shot and killed by Merced police late Monday, after officers responding to an armed robbery reported he refused commands to drop a gun.

Police later identified the man as 27-year-old Merced County resident Rodolpho Antonio Ruiz. He had a previous criminal history, including prior arrests and charges of driving under the influence and possession of weapons. He was on probation for a burglary conviction in Merced County.

The identities of the two officers have not been released. Merced Police Chief Tom Cavallero held a news conference Tuesday, describing the sequence of events.

Police at 10:40 p.m. Monday responded to a silent holdup alarm and a phone call about an armed robbery and shooting at Circle K, located at 2104 G St.

Responding officers were flagged down near Bernie’s Liquor & Delicatessen by another person who also reported a robbery.

Several shots were reportedly fired inside Circle K between the shopkeeper and the suspect before the suspect took off running towards a nearby neighborhood, where police say he jumped multiple residents’ fences.

According to the Merced police chief, the suspect also tried taking a hostage outside Bernie’s Liquors and tried stealing that person’s car.

The suspect circled back around to 21st Street, where officers told him to drop a handgun he was holding.

After he didn’t drop the gun, officers shot him and then rendered first aid. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said at Tuesday’s news conference.

A clerk who was working Monday night at Bernie’s spoke to the Sun-Star. “I didn’t give him anything,” said Gina Pannu, when asked about the reported robbery. “He didn’t take money from my store.”

The shopkeeper fired several shots inside Bernie’s, according to a statement from Merced police.

Pannu said no customers were in the store when the suspect entered Bernie’s. “Me and my worker were in there,” she said. “Nobody’s hurt. Everybody’s okay.”

Cavallero said it is believed the suspect took $85 dollars from the Circle K location. He added the suspect fired indiscriminately in both businesses. One of the witnesses said she believed the suspect actually fired toward her head and missed at the Circle K location.

While officers were on scene they heard shots being fired, but it is unknown at this time who the shots were fired at or from were. That is part of the ongoing investigation.

Cavallero said it’s the first officer-involved shooting in the county for 2021.

“But one is too many and we wish it didn’t have to happen at all, but that’s the hand we’re dealt”, he said.

“I don’t think this is indicative of the safety overall in Merced. Merced is, I feel, a safe community and we certainly do our very best to keep it safe. But when you have 90,000 people in one community, things are going to happen and we just have to be prepared to deal with them.”

Police expect there will be more details as officers analyze video footage from body cameras officers wore at the scene, patrol car footage and security video from the building, Cavallero added.

Merced police and the Merced County District Attorney’s Office are both investigating the incident.

Officers at the Tuesday press conference also said the two officers involved in the shooting had never been involved in a shooting before. One of the officers has worked as a police officer in Merced for 15 years, the other for less than a year.

Police found a handgun at the scene on Tuesday, although it wasn’t immediately clear who the gun belonged to.

More details will be posted as this story develops.

This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 11:20 AM.