Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni has begun an investigation into an officer-involved shooting on the Highway 101 northbound at Ralph Lane in Prunedale on March 15.
The California Highway Patrol was dispatched to a report of a solo vehicle collision with a guardrail on Hwy 101 northbound at Ralph Lane around 6:55pm.
A CHP officer arrived at the scene at approximately 7:07pm, according to a press release from the DA.
Minutes later, the CHP officer fired several shots, killing the driver of the car, James Frederick Combs, 42, of Salinas. The officer was not injured. Investigators learned that Combs was armed with a knife with a 4-inch blade.
It was not clear what led up to the shooting. The Pajaronian has reached out to the Monterey County District Attorney’s office for comment.
That office responded to the scene to conduct an independent investigation because it is an officer-involved shooting. Combs’s next of kin have been notified.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation at 831.755.5070.
