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Gilberto Flores

Age :

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 05/28/2026

Location : 1200 block of East Palm Canyon Drive

City : Palm Springs

County : Riverside

State : California

Agency : Palm Springs Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during disturbance call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 05/28/2026 at approximately 3:40 p.m., Palm Springs police officers responded to the 1200 block of East Palm Canyon Drive after a 911 caller reported a man threatening employees with a large knife. Dispatch advised that the man was acting erratically and remained armed. A police drone from the department's Real Time Intelligence Center located Gilberto Flores on a second-story balcony while officers responded to the scene.
Officers established containment around the building while a trained crisis negotiator and a behavioral health clinician attempted to communicate with Flores in both English and Spanish. According to the department's later critical incident review, negotiations continued for approximately 40 minutes as officers repeatedly directed Flores to drop the knife and attempted to resolve the incident without force.
Flores eventually left the balcony and walked downstairs while still holding the knife. Officers repositioned to maintain distance as he moved through the parking lot and continued ignoring commands to disarm. Police deployed two conducted-energy weapons (Tasers) and fired a 40 mm less-lethal sponge round in an effort to stop him, but those measures were unsuccessful.
Police stated Flores then raised the knife and ran toward multiple officers, placing one officer in immediate danger of being stabbed. Three Palm Springs police officers fired their duty weapons, striking Flores. Firefighters and paramedics who had been staged nearby entered the scene, treated Flores, and transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office Force Investigation Division assumed responsibility for the criminal investigation. Upon completion, investigators were to submit their findings to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office for review of the officers' use of deadly force. Palm Springs Police also opened a separate administrative investigation into the incident.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://mynewsla.com/crime/2026/05/29/man-killed-in-officer-involved-shooting-in-palm-springs-2/
https://kesq.com/news/2026/05/28/man-killed-in-officer-involved-shooting-in-palm-springs/
https://thepalmspringspost.com/police-release-debrief-video-following-fatal-shooting-of-man-brandishing-knife/