Police shot and killed a retired firefighter after a five-minute car chase that ended in Lincoln early today.
Jill Thompson, a Lincoln spokeswoman, said the car chase began about 1:15 a.m. after two California Highway Patrol officers spotted a vehicle that matched the description of one reported to be involved in an AM/PM Mini-Mart robbery in Rocklin earlier Wednesday night.
The CHP officers were joined by Rocklin police in a five-minute pursuit that ended on Fairway Valley Place near Sun Valley Loop, Thompson said.
After hitting a dead end, the driver jumped from his car holding a gun, Thompson said.
“The officers shot the suspect in self defense,” she said.
Gregory Gifford, 55, from Fair Oaks died at the scene. A local fire official confirmed that Gifford retired several years ago from the Sacramento County Fire District, which now is part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
Thompson would not say how many shots were fired, how many officers fired their guns or which agency the officers who fired were from.
CHP could not be reached today for further comment.
The names of the four Rocklin police officers and two CHP officers involved in the pursuit have not been released. The Rocklin officers have been placed on administrative leave, a standard measure following fatal shootings, said Rocklin Police Department spokesman Lt. Lon Milka.
The Placer County District Attorney’s Office and the city of Lincoln will investigate the incident, Thompson said.
Story by Sac Bee
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