RivCo deputy shoots man in Valle Vista east of Hemet

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting that took place Friday in the Valle Vista area east of Hemet, said Deputy Melissa Nieburger.

According to a Sheriff’s Department report, at approximately 12:35 p.m. on Friday while deputies from the Hemet Sheriff’s Station were in the area of the 35700 block of 5th Street, in the unincorporated area of Riverside County known as Valle Vista, they observed Abraham Vaca, a 29-year-old resident of Hemet. Vaca was actively being sought as a suspect in an attempted homicide shooting case that occurred two weeks ago in San Jacinto.

According to the report, deputies observed Vaca get into a red sedan and initiated a felony traffic stop. Vaca exited the vehicle armed with a handgun.

Vaca discharged the handgun after exiting the vehicle, causing an officer-involved shooting that involved three of the deputies on scene, the report stated.

Vaca was immediately given emergency medical treatment by the deputies and Cal-Fire was summoned to continue his care, according to the report. He was air-lifted to a local hospital where he is currently being treated for his injuries.

The deputies were not injured, according to the report.

Per department policy, the deputies were placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is encouraging anyone with information about this incident to contact Investigator Echelt of the Central Homicide Unit at 760-393-3523 or Investigator Farwell at the Hemet Sheriff’s Station at 951-791-3400.