Two days after Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a man inside a Goleta Ralphs grocery store, new details have been confirmed — including that the initial altercation began with a stabbing and involved a dog.
The incident began at 2:39 p.m. Monday, October 20, when deputies responded to reports of an “active assault with a weapon” at the Magnolia Shopping Center on Hollister Avenue.
By the time they arrived, an adult male had been stabbed twice and cut with a knife. The alleged attacker — another adult male — had already fled into the grocery store.
Detectives later learned the conflict stemmed from the suspect reportedly abusing the victim’s dog. The dog, according to authorities, was not injured. The victim, treated at a nearby hospital, has since been released.
Inside Ralphs, deputies made contact with the suspect and, according to sheriff’s spokesperson Raquel Zick, “attempted to apprehend him; however, there was an altercation, and the suspect was shot.” The man was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured.
The name of the deceased has not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.
Two deputies have been placed on paid administrative leave — a routine measure, per department policy.
The California Department of Justice assisted in processing the crime scene but is not leading the investigation under Assembly Bill 1506, which mandates DOJ oversight in police shootings involving unarmed civilians. That criterion, according to the Sheriff’s Office, was not met in this case as the man who was shot was armed.
The scene was secured within the hour Monday afternoon, with California Highway Patrol officers closing off the shopping center and employees at Ralphs dismissed for the day.
What remains unknown — and under active investigation — is what happened in the moments between contact and gunfire.
“We continue to work through the sequence of events that transpired after deputies entered the store,” Zick said.
The Sheriff’s Office has not released the type of weapon recovered at the scene, nor any additional information about the suspect’s identity, prior history, or connection to the victim.
