Man Fatally Shot by Officer at Fresno PD Headquarters Is Identified

A man fatally shot Tuesday morning by a detective he assaulted at Fresno Police headquarters downtown has been identified as 24-year-old Joseph Lee Roy.

Joseph Lee Roy

Fresno Police Lt. Bill Dooley said that Roy had been in Fresno County court earlier for an assault with a deadly weapon charge.

According to Dooley, officers are reviewing surveillance camera video to figure out how Roy got into police headquarters.

“We still do not know why he did this,” Dooley said at a Wednesday morning news conference. “As far as we can tell, this is a random attack on our detective.”

Dooley said that officers arrested Roy in 2018 for felony elder abuse and robbery and held him twice for mental health reasons, However, the detective he attacked was not involved in any of those cases and had no prior contact with him.

That detective, who has not been identified, was taken to Community Regional Medical Center. He was treated for cuts to the top of his head and is recovering at home, Dooley said. The detective also suffered a concussion, Dooley said.

The unidentified detective suffered a concussion during the assault and was treated for his lacerations, officials said. He is now recovering at home. (Fresno PD)

Dooley said he didn’t know how long the officer and Roy were involved in the physical struggle before the officer fired his weapon.

Roy “was not fighting to try and escape. He was fighting to try and hurt. That is a very scary situation,” Dooley said.

Watch: Police Chief Balderrama’s Briefing on Officer-Involved Shooting