Crime & Safety

I.D. Of Deputy Who Fatally Shot Lakeland Village Man Released

Deputy Jerry Abbott fatally shot a 58-year-old man at 32921 Rome Hill Road in Lakeland Village during a narcotics search warrant service on March 25.

The deputy who shot and killed a man during a warrant service in Lakeland Village has been identified.

On March 25, at approximately 7:06 a.m., Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jerry Abbott fatally shot a 58-year-old man at 32921 Rome Hill Road in Lakeland Village during a narcotics search warrant service, confirmed Cpl. Courtney Donowho, spokeswoman for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Abbott, a 10-year veteran of the department and member of the Southwest Corridor Narcotics Task Force, has returned to duty, Donowho said.

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The deputy had been placed on paid administrative leave pending an inquiry into the shooting; there is no information available yet on the investigation, Donowho said.

According to a Lake Elsinore Sheriff's Station report, the man was killed after he brandished a shotgun while deputies attempted to serve the warrant at the Rome Hill Road mobile home residence.

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Deputies and neighbors have said no one else was in the mobile home at the time of the shooting. No officers were injured during the incident.

The man’s identification has not been released by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office pending notification of next of kin, Donowho said.

“The coroner has had a terrible time locating next of kin,” she said.

According to neighbors, the man’s name is Fred L. Smith, an only child whose parents are both deceased.

from some local Lakeland Village residents who knew Smith. Many characterized him as a victim, and have denied suggestions that he was a drug dealer.

Neighbors have acknowledged that Smith did keep a shotgun under his bed but contend he was disabled and used doctor-prescribed fentanyl to control back pain, which prevented him from moving around quickly.

“I can’t imagine he could have grabbed that gun very fast,” said Debbie Fitzpatrick, 46, a neighbor who said she was Smith’s state-appointed in-home caretaker. “He could barely move any time of day, let alone the morning.

“I saw him the night before (he was shot),” she continued. “He was on fentanyl that night. I’m pretty sure he was asleep and drooling when they (the deputies) got there.”


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