The 911 call made by 46 year old Charles Salinas has been released. Salinas was shot and killed by Sanger police on Friday, June 15th.
Salinas told the operator it was time for him to die. He also told the operator that he was armed and he wanted police to shoot him.
Salinas called 911 from what he said was his childhood home in the 1100 block of N Street in Sanger.
He told the operator he had a gun and two knives.
And he wanted her to send officers.
“When they get here tell them, tell them to shoot,” Salinas told the dispatcher.
The dispatcher told Salinas to put down his weapons.
He responded - he didn't want to hurt anyone.
Salinas told the dispatcher: “Ma’am I need you to say that you hear me talking right now I will not hurt anybody.”
The dispatcher responded: “They know that. I told them you said you will not hurt anyone. But you still have to put those weapons away.”
Salinas made it clear to the dispatcher - he knew what he was doing.
What it would take for officers to see him as a threat.
“I certainly won’t do it unless I jump towards them. I need them to know I’m not going to hurt them. If I do it, it’s only to provoke them,” Salinas said.
But there's one thing that would make him call it off.
“If I saw any kids or anything, I would run and make sure they were not a part of this,” Salinas told the dispatcher.
Salinas hung up on the dispatcher and walked towards 11th and Academy.
When officers told him to put down his weapon, he ran down an alley.
“The officers on scene, when they finally engaged him, they gave him commands. And the last thing we want to do as officers or deputies is hurt someone,” said Deputy Chris Curtice with the Fresno Sheriff’s Department.
Sanger police officers fired at Salinas. He died at the scene.
