A 64-year-old man died after being shot by Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies Thursday morning during a standoff in an apparent domestic disturbance at a home near San Antonio Park above Cathedral Oaks Road. The man had brandished a gun against the deputies and refused orders to drop his weapon.
The deputies who shot the armed man, identified as Donald George, will be placed on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation is conducted to determine whether they followed department policies.
Deputies responding to a 7:50 a.m. domestic disturbance call at 4621 Via Gennita confronted George on the back porch. He was armed with a handgun, said sheriff’s Sgt. Erik Raney, a department spokesman.
“Deputies ordered the suspect to drop the gun several times,” Raney said in a statement. ”The suspect ignored the demands of the deputies and walked back into the residence.”
Raney said George later emerged from the home, still armed.
“During the brief standoff with deputies, the suspect again confronted the deputies with his handgun,” Raney said. “Deputies fired on the suspect, striking him several times.”
Paramedics rushed George to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he underwent surgery, but later died.
The internal investigation is expected to last several weeks, Raney said. A concurrent investigation is under way to determine the circumstances surrounding the domestic disturbance. The names of the deputies are being withheld by the department, Raney said.