Joseph Blake Jr., 28, was shot in the abdomen in the front yard of his parents' Hemet Street home. He was in critical condition at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley Monday afternoon, Birney said.

Blake's girlfriend, who saw the shooting, said Blake was belligerent and ran at the officer. But she said he posed no threat because the fence separated him from the deputy. Cheryl Moon, 29, said she did not see the knife authorities contend Blake was carrying.

"He was moving toward the deputy but could not do anything to him," said Moon, as she stood near the blood-stained spot where Blake fell to the ground. "He would have to climb it first if he was going to do anything. He never reached the fence."

Moon's account of events is similar to what the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said happened.

Someone called 911 from a Wanderlust Drive home in east Hemet about 1:15 a.m., reporting that Blake and Moon were arguing, Birney said. By the time deputies arrived, the couple had left for the Hemet Street home they share with Blake's parents. Deputies followed them there.

The deputy, whom Birney declined to identify, pulled up as Blake and Moon were getting out of her car. Blake started yelling obscenities at the deputy, jumped the chain-link fence and briefly ran into the home through the kitchen. Birney said Blake reappeared at the front porch, carrying a knife and still yelling.

Moon said Blake's mother tried to calm him. The deputy was standing behind the fence, his sight partially obscured by dead plants on top of the fence, Moon said. A small porch light, the deputy's flashlight and blinking emergency lights provided the only illumination.

Moon, who was standing with the deputy, said Blake jumped on a wooden banister on the porch and onto the front yard grass before running at the officer. The officer fired three to four shots, Moon said.

"He did not tell him to stop or anything," Moon said. "He just shot him."

Since Blake had already jumped the fence, Birney said the deputy may have concluded it was not an obstacle.

Birney said the folding knife Blake was allegedly carrying was confiscated. He declined to describe the weapon further. Moon ran to Blake's side after the shooting and said she did not see a knife on the ground or in his hand.

Blake's father, Joseph Sr., said he came outside after hearing the shots and saw his son lying on the ground. He conceded his son has had run-ins with the law, but said he did not deserve to be shot.

"This is not right," he said. "I can see if he was carrying a gun and pointed it at the deputy."

Blake is on probation. According to court records, he has been convicted of burglary, domestic violence and drug-related charges over the past five years.

Hemet police will conduct a criminal investigation into the actions of both the deputy and Blake. The Sheriff's Department will conduct an administrative review to determine whether the shooting was justified and the deputy followed policy. The deputy, a seven-year veteran of the department, has been placed on administrative leave, which is routine.

Monday's incident is the latest officer-involved shooting involving an Inland Empire police agency.

Last month, Hemet police shot and wounded a man after he showed a gun following a pursuit. The 46-year-old man suffered extensive brain damage and will not be charged with a crime. No officers were injured.

On Jan. 26, two San Bernardino police officers shot and killed a 26-year-old man who allegedly lunged at them with a butcher knife inside a North Waterman Avenue business. The man had just been released from jail in San Diego County and was apparently on his way to San Bernardino to visit his mother.

The day before, Riverside police shot and killed a 31-year-old man after he reportedly ignored orders to drop a knife and threatened officers who arrived at a condominium to quell a dispute. Two officers fired at the San Fernando Valley resident.

Published 4/14/1998