Aromas
– A two-hour standoff with San Benito County sheriff’s deputies
ended in flames and the death of a suicidal man Friday night on
Seeley Avenue.
Aromas – A two-hour standoff with San Benito County sheriff’s deputies ended in flames and the death of a suicidal man Friday night on Seeley Avenue.
The man, 52-year-old Tommy Ralph Gabriel, locked himself in a room above his garage, Lt. Roy Iler said. Sheriff’s deputies attempted to get the man to come out of the room, but negotiations failed. He told police “to come back tomorrow when I’m dead, otherwise you’re all going to die.” Shortly before midnight, Gabriel set the room on fire. Gabriel pointed a loaded shotgun and an assault weapon at deputies. One deputy shot at the man. Gabriel retreated into the burning room and was later pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death is not yet known.
“This is what you don’t want to happen,” Iler said. “It’s every officer’s nightmare. It’s something you want to go your whole career without happening.”
Gabriel’s family could not be reached for comment Monday.
Robert Tas, who lives at the bottom of the eucalyptus-covered hill on which the Gabriel residence sits, said the standoff had him fearing for his family’s safety. Tas has lived with his wife, son and daughter on Seeley Avenue for three and a half years.
“It’s a nice neighborhood, very quiet, and a nice family,” Tas said with a nod toward the Gabriel residence.
Tas said he and his wife had spoken with Gabriel regularly, and that he seemed like a “nice guy.” Tas’ wife saw Gabriel Thursday and heard him laughing just hours before the standoff began Friday.
When the standoff came to an end, Tas said he heard what sounded like four rapid gunshots. Then he saw the flames.
“There were 30-, 40-foot flames coming up the side (of the garage),” Tas said.
Outside investigators will determine this week whether the deputy followed sheriff’s office policy in shooting at Gabriel.
The deputy, who has not been identified, was placed on a mandatory three-day leave, Iler said.
Sheriff Curtis Hill said he is confident that the deputy acted within reason and that everything was done to save the man’s life.
“All of our procedures and policies were followed,” Hill said.
The Monterey Sheriff’s Office sent five deputies to help, Iler said. Monterey SWAT had been called to assist deputies, but the situation escalated out of control before SWAT could respond, Hill said.
It was the first officer-involved shooting for the sheriff’s office since 2000. The last sheriff’s office shooting that resulted in a death was in 1974.
At 7:15pm Friday, a man at the Aromas Cafe told deputies that Gabriel had assaulted him, Iler said.
Upon arriving at Gabriel’s home, Gabriel’s wife told deputies that he was armed and suicidal, Iler said. While deputies spoke with the wife, a man in a room above a garage shouted at them to get off the property, Iler said.
The sheriff’s office then began 90 minutes of negotiations with the man. Negotiations eventually deteriorated, and deputies heard a shotgun blast, Iler said.
Two different teams surrounded the garage, with one team approaching the staircase to help the man, Iler said.
Once the deputies reached the staircase, the suspect said “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Iler said.
Iler said the deputies retreated about 25 yards to a cement retaining wall.
At about 11:15pm, the man set the room ablaze and pointed a shotgun and assault weapon at deputies from the garage’s staircase landing, Iler said.
A deputy shot his AR-15 at the man, who retreated back into the room, deputies said.
Deputies attempted to rescue the man and give medical aid, but flames forced the team away from the garage.
“We want to get him help, but we aren’t going to put our officers in jeopardy,” Iler said. “We aren’t going to rush.”
Gabriel’s wife collapsed after the incident, Iler said.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze and deputies recovered Gabriel’s body, Iler said.
Due to extensive burns, deputies could not determine the cause of death, or if Gabriel had been shot, Iler said.
“We don’t know if he died of a gun wound or if he died of smoke inhalation,” Iler said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
Hill said both the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office are conducting independent investigations into the shooting to ensure all polices were followed.
Gabriel has never been arrested in San Benito County, according to jail personnel.
