The Washoe County District Attorney's Office has determined that a May 2020 officer-involved shooting in Sparks was justified by police.

Authorities say Ronal Adalberto Zendejas entered the office of Motel 6 and rented a room for one night where he then punched the plexiglass separating the lobby and employee areas, and then punched the office window as he left. 

Eventually, they say he returned and followed the general manager into the office, this time armed with a running chainsaw. The DA's office says the general manager retreated behind the counter, and Zendejas used the chainsaw to cut through the swinging half-door which separates the lobby and employee areas. The front desk manager took cover in the employee bathroom, while the general manager went into his apartment, which was connected to the office. They say Zendejas, who was still armed with the chainsaw, then entered the employee area.  

At some point, Sparks Police arrived to find Zendejas, who was sitting in his blue Honda Accord parked in the Motel 6 parking lot. The officers, who were dressed in full police uniforms, approached Zendejas, verbally identified themselves as police, and ordered him to stop and show his hands.

They say Zendejas ignored their commands and rapidly reversed, and then drove out of the parking lot at a high rate of speed. As he fled, Zendejas drove across all travel lanes of Victorian Avenue, over a curb, struck a metal street sign, and stopped on landscaping rocks. 

At some point, Zendejas’ vehicle went into a parking lot next to a smog shop and crashed front-end into a wall.

Additional officers arrived, approached the car, and removed Zendejas from the driver’s seat. 

They say Zendejas did not survive the incident, and a subsequent autopsy found the cause of his death to be multiple gunshot wounds. 

You can read the full Washoe County District Attorney's report below - 

Download PDF WCDA Victorian Avenue OIS

ORIGINAL STORY:

The Reno Police Department has released more details on Monday night's officer-involved shooting on Victorian Avenue in Sparks. 

Reno Police say around 8p.m., officers with the Sparks Police Department responded to the 2400 block of Victorian Avenue on a report of a suspicious person inside a motel lobby. This suspect was reportedly using a chainsaw to destroy a wooden door which separated him from the employees.

When officers arrived on scene, they ordered the unidentified suspect to stop from driving away which they say he disregarded and then hit a police car in the process and ultimately colliding into rock landscaping. RPD says the suspect then began driving away from the scene, at which time two Sparks Police Officers fired their weapons into the vehicle, striking the suspect.

The suspect ultimately died on scene. 

No officers were hurt. 

The Regional Officer-Involved Shooting Protocol was initiated and the Reno Police Department is leading the investigation. Both Officers have been placed on routine administrative leave.

The Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the suspect as 36-year-old Ronal Zendejas. An official cause and manner of death is pending investigation.

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