Fresno officer shot in arrest attempt, suspect found with self-inflicted wound

A Fresno police officer was shot multiple times during an arrest attempt tied to a domestic violence call, and investigators later found 56-year-old Paul Rodriguez Cisneros with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head after an hours-long manhunt that drew dozens of first responders into Southwest Fresno.

Police said the case began around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16, when officers responded to a home near East Garrett Avenue and South Clara Avenue after a woman reported that her husband had threatened to shoot her and had nearly run her over with a car. Officers came back about 9:30 p.m. to arrest Cisneros, but Fresno police said they were immediately met with gunfire as they got out of their patrol vehicle.

A 26-year-old Fresno police officer was struck multiple times in the arm and upper body. He was later released from the hospital, and Chief Mindy Casto said he was doing well and wants to return to work. A second officer was not injured. Police used a BearCat armored vehicle to rescue Cisneros’s wife and the couple’s 8-year-old daughter from the home.

During the overnight search, officers discovered that one of their patrol cars had been taken. Casto said Cisneros drove away in the police vehicle, and investigators used its GPS tracker to help locate him. Police also said they tried to get him to surrender peacefully by phone, with PA announcements and with a drone before moving in.

On Sunday, officers forced entry into a home near Bardell and Vine avenues in Southwest Fresno and found Cisneros hiding in the garage on the floor with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He survived and was taken to the hospital. Police said the search and standoff involved dozens of first responders from multiple agencies and brought heavy police activity near the Jensen Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard corridor.

Fresno police announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to Cisneros’s arrest. Investigators said he was wanted on charges including attempted murder of a police officer, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of resisting an executive officer, and possession of a firearm by a convicted person. Police also described him as armed and dangerous as the case unfolded across southeast and southwest Fresno.