Law enforcement has released the identity of an elderly man shot and killed by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies Friday after he opened fire on tree trimmers who’d been working near his home, county officials said.
Paul Ronald Selby, 78, shot at tree trimmers that Southern California Edison had sent to prune vegetation outside his home in Mentone, a small hamlet between Redlands and Yucaipa in San Bernardino County, late Friday morning, according to the sheriff’s department.
When deputies from the Yucaipa Sheriff’s Station responded about 10:50 a.m., Selby barricaded himself inside his house. The department then sent in crisis negotiators and a tactical team with armored vehicles to try to disarm him, officials said.
“Over several hours, deputies made many public announcements directing Selby to exit the home, but he refused to comply,” the department said in a statement.
Deputies eventually used chemical weapons to flush Selby’s wife out of the house, but Selby remained inside. The standoff ended around 2 p.m., when officials say Selby fired at deputies, who shot and killed him in reponse.
“Medical personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the department said in a statement. “No civilians or deputies were injured during the incident.”
An Edison spokesperson previously told the Times that the tree-trimming workers managed to find safe cover after the man opened fire and were not hurt in the incident.
