January 6, 2023 - The Merced County Sheriff's Office reports on Tuesday evening, Deputies were dispatched to a property on Brannon Avenue in Dos Palos for a report of an assault. As Deputies were en route, Dispatch informed them that the victim, who is a legally permitted CCW holder, had shot an adult male in self-defense. The suspect had attempted to hit the victim with an axe.

Deputies arrived on scene and located an adult male, identified as Luis Larios, with a gunshot wound that did not appear to be life-threatening. Deputy Machado applied a tourniquet to him and waited for an ambulance to arrive.

Through the investigation, Deputies determined that the property owner located Larios sitting in his vehicle on the property and was stuck in the mud. The property owner then tried to help him get his car unstuck when Larios became angry and grabbed an axe from the trunk of his car. He then began swinging the axe in a threatening way. The property owner ultimately shot Larios in self-defense. Larios is currently in custody pending criminal charges.

Source: Merced County Sheriff's Office