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Dyer: Noble Shooting Justified But Fourth Shot Not 'Appropriate'

Fresno Police Department
Dylan Noble moments before the shooting

The Fresno Police have determined that the fatal shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old Clovis man in June was justified. However police Chief Jerry Dyer says the shooting of Dylan Noble still raises

Noble was shot four times in a convenience store parking lot earlier this year after refusing to follow dozens of police commands to show his hands.

During a press conference Friday, Dyer told reporters that the department has determined that because Noble would not show his hands, officers were justified to use deadly force.

“The law requires us to judge use of deadly force based solely on what the officers knew at the time they used force. Taking into consideration that they are making split second decisions,” Dyer says.

Noble was shot four times, however, there was a 14-second gap between the third and fourth shot. A close review of the police body camera video, and still photos from that footage, appear to show that as Noble was laying on the ground he reached for his waistband. That is when he was shot for the fourth time.

Dyer says the time gap should have been enough time to reassess the situation.

“As such I have determine that the officer who fired the fourth and final round did not use the appropriate tactics in addressing the threat presented by Dylan Noble,” Dyer says.

As a result, Dyer says all officers, including those involved in the shooting, will receive additional training. Also, the department is reviewing their policy concerning releasing a K9 and that all shotguns and rifles will be equipped with straps to make them easier to handle.

Dyer says he is prohibited by state law from revealing what kind of discipline either of the officers, identified for the first time as Raymond Camacho and Robert Chavez, received. Chavez is the officer who fired the fourth shot.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office is still determining if criminal charges should be filed against the officers.

It is still not clear which shot actually killed Noble. A toxicology report shows that he had a blood alcohol content of .12 and trace amount of a chemical that is a metabolite of cocaine.

Noble’s parents have both filed wrongful death lawsuits.

Jeffrey Hess is a reporter and Morning Edition news host for Valley Public Radio. Jeffrey was born and raised in a small town in rural southeast Ohio. After graduating from Otterbein University in Columbus, Ohio with a communications degree, Jeffrey embarked on a radio career. After brief stops at stations in Ohio and Texas, and not so brief stops in Florida and Mississippi, Jeffrey and his new wife Shivon are happy to be part Valley Public Radio.