FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man killed in Tuesday’s deputy involved shooting.
Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies responded to shots fired at 2:00am Tuesday morning, near the Belmont Country Club.
One deputy arriving on scene saw Dennis Happawana walking on the roadway near Belmont and N. Wintergreen and shined a light on him. Happawana shined a light back toward the deputy. While seated in his patrol car, the deputy heard what appeared to be a gunshot and noticed smoke coming from the engine.
The deputy commanded the suspect to surrender. Happawana refused and walked into his family’s home on Wintergreen Ave.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Sheriff Elect John Zanoni said negotiators tried to get Happawana to surrender.
Additional deputies arrived and surrounded the home.
At 3:15 am, they heard a grinding noise, followed by a loud explosion and yelling.
The smell of natural gas / propane filled the air and deputies could hear what appeared to be a pressurized gas leak. They ordered homeowners on the street to evacuate.
Dispatchers informed deputies that there were other people inside the house.
Sheriff Elect Zanoni said the Air Support Unit, SWAT Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded.
Deputies flew drones over the home in search of the suspect. Once he was located outside the house, some SWAT members entered the house in search of people in danger.
Inside, deputies could smell a strong odor of gas, from stove burners that were left on.
Deputies found two adults, who were relatives of the suspect, barricaded in a room, and took them out of the house to a safe location.
Zanoni said negotiators tried to get Happawana to surrender for three hours but when he tried to blow up the home with propane tanks outside and moved toward officers, he was shot and killed.
Around 5:15 am, he made his way toward the back of the house where he was confronted by SWAT members, they fired their guns, striking the suspect.
-Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
Deputies immediately gave the man medical aid, along with EMS members who were on standby with an ambulance.
However, Happawana did not survive his injuries.
Deputies found multiple loaded weapons at the property.
Records show the Happawana had Asperger’s Syndrome and a history of mental health issues.
The Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to the same house, previously.
In 2016, Happawana was arrested for robbery. He was at Kaiser Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, when he told police he wanted officers to kill him. He then broke a glass door and escaped, spurring a search before he was later found.
Listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
