By Sara Kassabian
Source The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
An armed suspect who sparked a standoff with Paso Robles police in July appeared to reach for his gun when he was shot and killed by SWAT team officers, newly released video shows.
The department released the video after the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office Bureau of Investigations completed its review of the incident, according to a news release from the Paso Robles Police Department. A final report on the officer-involved shooting is forthcoming.
The incident happened on July 6 around 1:15 a.m. when a member of the SWAT fatally shot Steven Adam Calderon while officers were attempting to arrest him, according to the release.
The shooting occurred while Calderon was sitting on the steps in front of an apartment in the 2400 block of Branch Creek Circle in Paso Robles.
Calderon was shot by police officers after he looked at and reached in the direction of his handgun after being told to surrender, video of the incident shows.
Once it was deemed safe to approach Calderon's body, officers and paramedics were dispatched to provide medical aid and discovered he had died as a result of the shooting, according to the video.
Deadly end to hourslong standoff
Police responded to a call at 4 p.m. that day for a man who had fired a gun at the Dry Creek Apartments on Branch Creek Circle.
Calderon was in Paso Robles visiting the mother of his child, who reached out to police after he allegedly pointed a gun to her head and threatened her life. Calderon also fired the gun from the balcony of her apartment, according to the video.
The mother and her children were able to escape the apartment and were not inside the apartment at the time of the shooting, according to the video.
Armed with a handgun, Calderon barricaded himself in the apartment while police gathered outside, causing a standoff that lasted multiple hours, according to the release.
At one point around 11:30 p.m., Calderon fired shots at police officers, striking a SWAT team vehicle, the video shows.
Police officers fired their weapons, but neither Calderon or any police officers were shot in this initial gunfire exchange, according to the video.
Eventually, officers fired tear gas into the apartment to try to force Calderon out, the video shows. The team also deployed a drone, which captured video of Calderon writing "RIP" for "rest in peace," along with other illegible writing on the refrigerator.
Shortly after 1 a.m., Calderon emerged from the apartment, dropping the gun and rubbing his eyes, then taking off his shirt, throwing a SWAT team robot down the stairs and sitting down on the top step.
After a few moments, he appeared to reach in the direction of the gun and officres opened fire, killing him.
"I requested the assistance of the SLO Regional SWAT team due to the high-risk nature of this situation. The suspect was armed with a gun and had barricaded himself in an apartment, refusing to cooperate with officers," said Ty Lewis, who was the chief of the Paso Robles Police Department at the time of the shooting, in the release.
"The suspect fired several shots at officers while they attempted to negotiate with him. This situation posed extreme risk to the community and officers. Unfortunately, this event ended tragically when the suspect ignored officer commands and reached for his gun. The officers were left with no choice but to defend themselves," Lewis said in the release.
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