Identities of deputy shot and man killed in Salinas standoff released
The Salinas man who was killed after a nine-hour standoff with law enforcement has been identified.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the deceased man was 67-year-old Erin Howard Fischer.
The standoff started after Fischer fired at Monterey County Sheriff's Deputy Jesse Grant while being served an eviction notice, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Grant had requested non-emergency backup shortly before 8 a.m.
During the first gunfire, which started around 8:45, Grant was shot multiple times and subsequently hospitalized.
Grant is expected to fully recover.
What followed was a nine-hour standoff, with Fischer barricaded in his apartment.
During the standoff, a shelter-in-place order was issued for the surrounding neighborhood.
Local, state and federal law enforcement were on scene as dozens of personnel waited for Fischer to leave his home.
While barricaded in his home, Fischer shot down seven drones, according to Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.
Fischer was dressed in a camouflaged military uniform, and was wearing a helmet and gas mask.
The standoff ended around 5:33, when Fischer was fatally shot in the head.
The identity of the officer who shot him has not been released.
18 law enforcement officials from the Salinas Police Department and the Sheriff's Office fired their guns throughout the standoff, according to Pacioni.
After Fischer died, a search of his apartment found a total of 3 semi-automatic rifles, 3 bolt-action rifles and 2 handguns.
Pacioni says he was killed while holding an AK-47 assault rifle.
