Man killed by deputies outside La Quinta City Hall identified
UPDATE: The man was identified as Randy Fedorchuk, 66, of La Quinta.
Fedorchuk was shot and killed by Riverside County Sheriff's deputies in La Quinta Thursday afternoon after they said he pointed a rifle at them.
It happened in the courtyard of the La Quinta City Hall around 1:30 p.m.
La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans said a city staffer encountered the armed man outside the building. He quickly went inside, and triggered the city's active shooter protocols.
Within minutes, police shot and killed Fedorchuk. He was taken to the hospital but died there from his gunshot injury.
"We were sitting down and all of a sudden, cops left and right," said Claudia Mejia. "We're like, 'What's going on?'"
Mejia works across the street from city hall. She said she was taken by surprise when police swarmed the area.
"Before you know it, EMTs are coming in, we see a guy being pulled out," she said. "Cops running this way, another cop running this way."
Deputies confirmed they recovered the rifle at the scene.
Deputy involved shooting 9/24/20 at 1:25PM at Calle Tampico/Washington in LaQuinta. No outstanding suspect - suspect transported to local hospital. Deputy is ok. Will advise suspect info as it becomes available. PIO en route to scene.
— Riverside County Sheriff's Dept (@RSO) September 24, 2020
The Sheriff's Department confirmed that two deputies involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave in accordance with department policy. The names of the deputies involved will not be released at this time.
The Riverside County District Attorney's Office will be investigating the incident.
This is the third armed man to be shot and killed by Riverside County sheriff's deputies in the last three months.
In June, deputies fatally shot a 33-year-old Palm Desert man outside a gun shop on Cook Street, after a car crashed through the front window.
Last month, police killed a 33-year-old Cathedral City man who's accused of using a screwdriver to attack a deputy. A body camera only captured a one-second clip of the incident before police said it was deacticated.
The Force Investigations Detail encourages anyone with information regarding this incident to contact D.A. Investigator Steve Paixao at 760-863-8216 or Investigator Dickey at 951-955-7777.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.
