Woodville suspect dies after officer-involved shooting
Aug. 3—The suspect of a homicide in the Tulare County community of Woodville has died following an officer-involved shooting in a cemetery, the Coroner's Office confirmed on Tuesday.
On Saturday, deputies with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office responded to a call at a home in the area of Avenue 168 and Road 166 for a woman who'd been shot. Inside, they found that the victim, 30-year-old Rachel Martinez, had, dead at the scene. during their investigation, Detectives found that 31-year-old Ruben Isaac Sanchez shot Martinez after a verbal argument, according to reports. Sanchez left the area when Deputies were called. The gun was not found at the scene of the crime, leading investigators to believe he was still armed.
Deputies initially had concerns that Sanchez would head towards Oregon or Washington where he lived previously. However, at 4:30 p.m. Monday, detectives received a tip that Sanchez was hiding in the Woodville Cemetery. When detectives arrived, a shooting ensued, resulting in Sanchez being shot.
Sanchez was airlifted to a hospital, where he later died.
Woodville is a small, census-designated place in the lower, western part of Tulare County, with a population of less than 2,000 people.
