The incident began shortly before 11 a.m. when Barstow Police Department officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a Walmart in the 300 block of Montara Road, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
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The officers arrived to find the black Mustang, whose driver was believed to be wanted for questioning in connection with "a recent crime involving a stolen vehicle," the news release said.
When police tried to conduct a traffic stop on the car, "the driver suddenly reversed the vehicle and struck one of the patrol cars," the sheriff's department said.
According to investigators, the officer-involved shooting occurred as the driver again accelerated toward the officers and struck a second police vehicle. The driver was struck by gunfire and died at the scene. His name was not immediately released.
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A woman in a passenger seat was also shot; she was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and was expected to survive, authorities said.
Two other men exited the Mustang during the confrontation. One of them sustained minor injuries to his legs, the sheriff's statement said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Bruce Southworth of the sheriff's Homicide Detail at (909) 387-3589.