By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Stockton Police Officer Gabriel Sixtos fired on 25-year-old Moises Andrade on May 4 after the suspect armed himself with an ax and assumed an aggressive stance during a garage confrontation, despite officers’ repeated commands to drop the weapon.
- Officers had responded to reports of a man breaking down a front door on Nevada Street and later located Andrade inside a garage at a location approximately one mile away on Deep Cliff Way.
- Body camera footage shows officers speaking with an initially unarmed Andrade in Spanish before he retrieved an ax tied to a bicycle and raised it in a threatening manner.
- One officer drew a firearm while a second officer drew a Taser as a less-lethal alternative; Andrade was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
- The Stockton Police Department released the body camera video Thursday; the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office, California Department of Justice, and county medical examiner are investigating.
STOCKTON, CALIF. — Officer Gabriel Sixtos of the Stockton Police Department fired on a 25-year-old man wielding an ax on May 4 following an encounter in a residential garage where the suspect ignored repeated commands to drop the weapon.
Stockton police responded at approximately 7 a.m. to reports of a suspicious person armed with an ax on the 2000 block of Nevada Street, where callers said someone was attempting to break down the front door of an occupied home. The suspect, identified as Moises Andrade, caused substantial damage to the door before leaving the area. Officers learned Andrade may have been headed to another location where additional violence was possible.
Approximately one mile away, officers located Andrade inside a garage along Deep Cliff Way, off Houston Avenue. Body camera footage released by the police department shows officers approaching and attempting to speak with Andrade through the garage opening. Officers communicated with Andrade in Spanish, asking for his name and inquiring about what had occurred that day.
The video shows Andrade initially standing unarmed inside the garage. He subsequently retrieved an ax that was secured to a bicycle inside the structure and closed the garage door. When he opened the garage door again, officers gave multiple verbal commands for him to drop the ax and lower the weapon.
In response to Andrade arming himself, one officer drew a firearm while a second officer drew a Taser to provide a less-lethal option. Police said Andrade then assumed a pre-assaultive stance and raised the ax in a threatening manner toward officers.
Officer Sixtos discharged his firearm, striking Andrade. Officers immediately provided medical aid to Andrade at the scene until emergency medical services personnel arrived. Andrade was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Sixtos, who was hired by the Stockton Police Department in 2017 and assigned to the field operations division, was not injured in the incident. No other officers were hurt during the confrontation.
The incident remains under investigation by the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Justice, and the San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office.