Officers shoot, kill armed suspect in Paso Robles

July 6, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Update: Officers have identified the deceased suspect as Steven Adam Calderon.

Original: Following an hours-long standoff at a Paso Robles apartment, early Tuesday morning San Luis Obispo County SWAT officers shot and killed a 32-year-old man from Los Angeles, who earlier had allegedly fired shots at them.

Shortly before 4 p.m., a caller reported a man had fired gunshots from the balcony of an apartment during a verbal dispute with family members. The suspect allegedly pointed the gun at his girlfriend and threatened to shoot her, according to the Paso Robles Police Department.

The Los Angeles man then barricaded himself in an apartment at the Dry Creek complex near the 2400 block of Branch Creek Circle. After the man pointed a firearm at officers, Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis asked for assistance from the San Luis Obispo County Regional SWAT Team.

During the standoff, officers repeatedly yelled, “Adam, come to the door. Adam, you need to come out with your empty hands raised. You need to come out and surrender.”

Multiple gunshots were fired at about midnight.

Then at about 1:15 a.m., the Los Angeles man reached for his handgun while failing to surrender, according to the police department. SWAT officers shot the man.

Immediately following the shooting, SWAT medics and Paso Robles Emergency Services personnel provided treatment. But, the suspect succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead.

No bystanders, nor police officers suffered injuries. Paso Robles police are now working with the SLO County District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s offices to investigate the shooting.

Shortly after the fatal shooting, Chief Lewis issued a statement saying the suspect had fired several shots at officers as they were trying to negotiate with him and SWAT personnel acted in self-defense.

“I requested the assistance of the SLO Regional SWAT team due to the higher risk nature of this situation,” Lewis said in the statement. “The suspect was armed with a gun and had barricaded himself in an apartment, refusing to cooperate with officers. The suspect fired several shots at officers while they attempted to negotiate with him. This situation posed extreme risk to the community and officers. Unfortunately, this event ended tragically when the suspect ignored officer commands and reached for his gun. The officers were left with no choice but to defend themselves.”