California deputies fatally shoot man armed with hatchet

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — A man armed with a hatchet in California was shot during a struggle with sheriff's deputies as they attempted to take him into custody early Sunday, officials said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Deputies were first dispatched to a business in an unincorporated portion of Modesto for reports of a silent burglary alarm around 5 a.m., the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Authorities said the deputies found the man, who they say was in his 40s, outside the business and attempted to take him into custody.

That’s when the sheriff’s office says the struggle and shooting ensued. Authorities said the deputies rendered first-aid and summoned an ambulance for the man, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Both deputies were also injured during the incident. It is not clear what injuries the deputies suffered, but the sheriff’s office said they have been treated and released from a hospital.

Both will be assigned to administrative duties while authorities conduct a criminal and internal investigation into the shooting. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office will also conduct its own parallel investigation to review the shooting, the sheriff's office said.

Authorities have not released the identities of the deputies or the deceased man.