Around 5:00 pm on Friday March 6th, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office received a report of a burglary at Jamie's Auto Dismantling, located near West and Church Avenues in Fresno.
The owner of the business told dispatchers his shop was closed for the day and he had stopped by to pick up something. Once in his office, he found a man he did not recognize who was sleeping on the floor. The owner left the building and called law enforcement. He notified dispatchers that there were firearms and ammunition in the building and he was not sure if the suspect had gained access to them.
Deputies arrived and surrounded the building. They used a loudspeaker to call out to the man for approximately 30 minutes, but he never responded. Deputies then deployed a tactical robot into the building to try and get a visual of the suspect. The camera captured the man picking up the robot and throwing it. A few minutes later he exited the building. Two deputies staged nearby made contact with the man and gave him commands. The suspect did not comply and two deputies fired their guns multiple times, striking the man. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The deputies involved were not injured.
FSO homicide detectives, the Crime Scene Unit and District Attorney investigators responded to the scene to conduct an investigation.
The suspect was later identified as 32 year old Kenneth Mullins. He was currently homeless. A closer examination of Mullins showed he was not in possession of a weapon.
