CCSO Details What Led To West Point Man Being Shot By Deputy
West Point, CA — The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office has released details about what led to the shooting of 40-year-old Michael Powell during his standoff with deputies.
We first reported on the January 19 incident here.
The sheriff’s offices in Calaveras and Amador counties were conducting a joint search warrant at a home in the 1000 block of Woodhouse Mine Road in response to Powell’s possession of firearms as a prohibited person and the unsafe discharge of those firearms in the area. Deputies surrounded the home and asked Powell to come out, but he refused to do so. The Calaveras Sheriff’s Office reports that Powell then started firing several rounds from inside the home at deputies. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
The Crisis Intervention Team with the sheriff’s office then tried to de-escalate the situation, but Powell declined to cooperate. He also threatened, and declined intervention, from Behavioral Health specialists.
After several hours of requesting that Powell exit, chemical agents were deployed into the home. Powell became erratic and exited the home and fired a weapon several times in the proximity of law enforcement personnel. In response to this, one deputy fired one or more rounds which struck Powell, effectively stopping the shooting. Deputies administered first aid until an ambulance arrived on the scene. Powell was transported to an out-of-county trauma center for treatment.
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office concludes, “The continuing investigation into this incident is being conducted by the California Department of Justice, the Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office, and the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office. We emphasize that this information is preliminary and part of an ongoing investigation. In accordance with department policy, the deputy involved has been placed on paid administrative leave. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office is committed to transparency and will provide additional details as they become available.”
