Merced Sun-Star
MERCED, Calif. — Shots rang out here on a crisp and rainy Thursday morning, shaking up a normally quiet, close-knit community after a gunfight ended with a sheriff’s deputy and a suspect in hospital beds.
A Mariposa County sheriff’s deputy was in critical condition Thursday after he was shot twice, including once in the face, during a brief exchange of gunfire, allegedly with a Merced man, deputies said.
The deputy, whose name was not released, was receiving treatment at a Modesto hospital, according to Kristie Mitchell, a Sheriff’s Department’s spokeswoman.
The deputy was described as a 10-year veteran of the department, and a husband and father.
Mitchell’s voice cracked with emotion during a news conference in Mariposa, where she called the injured officer a “friend.” “We are a very small, tight-knit department,” she said. “We know each other up and down.”
The suspect was identified as Brian Ballasch, 35, of Merced, the Sheriff’s Department said.
We are a very small, tight-knit department. We know each other up and down.
Kristie Mitchell, a Mariposa Sheriff’s Department’s
The department said the shooting occurred around 6 a.m. after a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle driving erratically on Highway 49, just south of Mariposa. Deputies said Ballasch crashed his vehicle into a deputy’s car. Ballasch then got out of his vehicle and, after a brief verbal exchange, opened fire, possibly with a .45-caliber pistol, according to deputies.
Ballasch also was shot in the right ear and elbow by deputies.
He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer. He was receiving treatment at a regional hospital and listed in “stable” condition, deputies said.
Deputies described Ballasch as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ballasch had been the subject of an officer-safety bulletin issued Wednesday by the Merced Police Department. Such bulletins commonly circulate within law-enforcement agencies as advisories for officers. The bulletin on Ballasch was shared only within the Merced department, Merced police Capt. Bimley West said in a telephone interview.
The bulletin was based on information the department received from the San Benito Sheriff’s Department, West said, and that information was “advisory only.”
Suspected shooter Brian Ballasch had been the subject of an officer-safety bulletin issued on Wednesday by the Merced Police Department.
“There was no information about him being a possible threat or having any weapons,” West said. “The information was only that he had family connections in the city of Merced and that he was a military veteran going through (emotional) problems. It was only for our officers to know that information if they came into contact with him.”
The bulletin was not about any criminal activity. It was not a warrant for arrest or questioning in connection with any incidents, West said.
“There were no violations of law alleged and no reason to believe he was any type of threat,” West said. “Had there been any information like that, we would’ve sent that to other agencies in the region, but there was nothing to indicate any type of danger at all.”
Word of a gunfight spread quickly through the town of about 2,100. Jill Ballinger, owner of River Rock Inn, said she heard screeching tires and multiple gunshots while she sat in her home sipping her morning coffee.
Everyone in town has been talking about it, she said, and many were shaken up. Many of the 35 deputies in the department are “local kids,” she said.
“Today’s been a weird day. It’s odd,” she said. “This doesn’t happen here.”
She said she recognized Ballasch’s name because he was a local high school athlete.
Today’s been a weird day. It’s odd. This doesn’t happen here.
Jill Ballinger, owner of River Rock Inn in
Bryan Imrie, owner of Yosemite Ziplines and Adventure Ranch, said Ballasch worked for him for about two weeks more than two years ago. He described Ballasch as big and strong, but also as an intelligent “math genius.”
Imrie said he and Ballasch had talked about issues with PTSD over a meal. He said Ballasch acknowledged having it, saying he wasn’t able to find the help he needed.
Imrie said he also sympathized with the injured officer and his family. “It’s a sad deal all the way around,” he said.
Three other deputies were involved in the incident. It was not clear exactly how many fired weapons. All three have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, officials said.
The pistol Ballasch allegedly used was seized as evidence. Officials said they did not know if his mental health affected his right to own a gun, or how he had attained the weapon.
Authorities said it was too early to comment on the number of shots that were fired.
Copyright 2015 the Merced Sun-Star