On June 6, 2019, at approximately 1342 hours, the Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call regarding a home in the 200 block of Olivero Road in the unincorporated area of Modesto. Deputies were informed a male, who was armed with a shotgun, had broken into the home. Three juveniles were in the home when the male broke in. Upon arrival one juvenile was contacted outside of the home asking a neighbor to call 911. Another juvenile managed to escape the home while deputies were arriving. Deputies were informed the male who broke into the home was unknown to the residents. Deputies observed a male juvenile approach the front door from the interior of the home. He was prevented from exiting by a male adult who shut the front door.
Patrol sergeants arrived along with multiple deputies who set up a perimeter around the home along with a hasty rescue team. They attempted to contact the victim and suspect inside of the home. Their attempts were unsuccessful. While this was occurring the two victims who had escaped the home were debriefed. They gave deputies detailed information, including that the male who broke into the home was armed with a shotgun and was acting in a paranoid manner.
The decision was made to activate the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiation Team. The teams both have extensive training related to hostage situations and the best practices in use to resolve hostage situations. As part of their response, the Sheriff’s Department armored rescue vehicle was driven to the scene.
The SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiators attempted to contact the victim and suspect inside of the home using public address systems. They did not receive a response from the home. The SWAT Team then placed themselves in the exposed, dangerous position of approaching an open window of the home to place a wired telephone device in the home in an attempt to contact the victim or suspect.
The Hostage Negotiation Team used the device for a period of time in an attempt to open communications with the suspect and to confirm the condition of the victim. The suspect did not communicate with the hostage negotiators. Three hours after the first deputy from the Sheriff’s Department arrived at the home, the SWAT Team made contact with the victim and suspect at a window of the home. The suspect covered his head and the victim’s head with an orange hooded jacket in an attempt to conceal them from the team members. Once at the window, the juvenile victim attempted to pull away from the suspect and push himself out of the window. In response the suspect grabbed the victim by both shoulders, leaned back into the residence, and attempted to pull the victim back into the home.
Members of the SWAT Team responded and grabbed onto the victim to rescue him. They had determined the suspect could not be allowed to pull the victim back into the home where he would be in a position of much more danger. Due to the suspect’s actions of attempting to pull the victim back into the home, a member of the SWAT Team fired his duty weapon at the suspect to stop him. The SWAT Team member was positioned in the elevated turret of the rescue vehicle, giving him a position of advantage and view not available to the members of the SWAT Team on the ground attempting to pull the victim from the window. The rounds fired by the SWAT Team member were effective and the victim was able to be pulled from the suspect’s grasp by the SWAT Rescue Team. He was pulled from the window and taken to awaiting medical personnel.
Once the victim was rescued from the home, the SWAT Team implemented a pre-formulated plan to enter the home. SWAT Team members entered the home and located the suspect in the same room as the window the victim was rescued from. The suspect had suffered a fatal wound and medical personnel attached to the SWAT Team pronounced him deceased. A loaded firearm attributed to the suspect was located in the home. The suspect was identified as 37 year old Jose Astorga Jr. of Modesto.
The Deputy involved in the shooting is Deputy Fernando Gomez. Deputy Gomez has been with the Sheriff’s Department for 3 years, and a member of the Sheriff’s SWAT Team for 7 months.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Detective Cory Brown at 209-567-4485.
