California: Fresno Cop Fatally Shoots Woman After Hostage Standoff; Video Shows Suspect Ignoring Repeated Commands to Drop Knife
California’s Fresno police have released bodycam footage from an April 10 incident showing the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Joanna Lopez, who held a 68-year-old woman hostage with a knife near a bus stop on Blackstone Avenue.
California’s Fresno police have released bodycam footage from an April 10 incident showing the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Joanna Lopez, who held a 68-year-old woman hostage with a knife near a bus stop on Blackstone Avenue. The tense standoff lasted about 90 seconds, during which an officer issued six commands for Lopez to drop the knife. Using the woman as a human shield, Lopez ignored warnings, prompting the officer to fire a single shot from 10–20 feet away, striking her in the head. The hostage was unharmed. The weapon was later identified as a 6-inch carving knife. The incident remains under investigation and is being reviewed by multiple oversight agencies, including the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. US Shooting Incident: 2 Dead, 9 Injured As Gunfire Erupts at Event With 200 Teens in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park (Watch Videos).
Cop Fatally Shoots Woman in Fresno
NEW: Fresno police release bodycam footage of an officer firing at a knife-wielding suspect who was holding an innocent woman hostage.
Insane shot.
39-year-old Joanna Lopez was filmed holding a woman hostage with a knife to her neck.
The officer was seen strategically waiting… pic.twitter.com/3piQIDgS83
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 31, 2025
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2025 07:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
