Family of Man Fatally Shot by Humboldt County Deputy Seeks Answers After Loleta Incident
Nicholas Anderson [Photo provided by family]
They are hoping witnesses will describe what they saw or provide them with images that will help them comprehend their tragedy. The family emphasized their need for answers: “We are trying to understand what happened and are seeking information,” they said. “If you were nearby, saw or heard anything, or have any related photos or videos, please reach out to us at [email protected].”
According to a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting occurred on June 5 at approximately 3:31 p.m. Deputies had been investigating a report of a man bleeding at the Center. Scanner traffic from the day of the incident offers a glimpse into the events: at 3:28 p.m., a deputy reported that the man, later learned to be Nicholas Anderson, had refused medical aid and then they said, “We’ll be leaving the area shortly.”
Nicholas Anderson speaking with a HCSO Deputy prior to being fatally shot at the Bear River Rec Center near Loleta last Thursday.
Less than two minutes later, at what we believe was 3:30 p.m., a deputy stated he had one person at gunpoint. Approximately, 37 seconds later, the deputy reported that shots had been fired, and by 3:35 p.m., CPR was underway.
The Sheriff’s Office stated that Anderson “charged a Deputy Sheriff with a knife in a threatening manner,” prompting one deputy to fire his service weapon, striking Anderson in the chest. Deputies at the scene were wearing body cameras, and bystanders witnessed the shooting.
Nicholas’s family described him as “intelligent, athletic, and creative,” saying that he expressed himself through “drawing, photography, writing, and music.” They added that he was “deeply spiritual” and worked as a meditation facilitator. “He traveled extensively throughout the world with his family and was always inquisitive,” they wrote. “He will be deeply missed by his mother, father, brother, and his large extended family.”
The Sheriff’s Office indicated that Anderson was not a Humboldt County resident and had arrived from Simi Valley on June 3. Investigators said he had used an alias to receive medical treatment at a local facility for an injury.
As is customary, two deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on routine paid leave while the Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team investigates.
The Sheriff’s Office is also encouraging witnesses to contact them at (707) 445-7251 or the Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.
Here is the entire statement by the family:
“We are the family of Nick Anderson, who died in an officer-involved incident on June 5 in Humboldt County.Nick was intelligent, athletic, and creative. He expressed himself through drawing, photography, writing, and music. He was deeply spiritual and worked as a meditation facilitator. He traveled extensively throughout the world with his family and was always inquisitive. He will be deeply missed by his mother, father, brother and his large extended family.We want answers and are actively seeking information. If you were nearby, saw or heard anything, or have any related photos or videos, please reach out to us at nicholasandersoninformation@gmail.com”
Earlier:
- Breaking News: Officer-Involved Shooting Reported Near Bear River Casino in Loleta
- Suspect Deceased Following Confrontation with Deputies
- Man Fatally Shot by Humboldt County Deputy Yesterday Identified
Update:
- Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Identifies Deputy in Fatal June 5 Incident
- Sheriff Releases Body-Camera Video of June 5 Deputy Shooting in Loleta
- DA: June 2025 Officer-Involved Shooting in Loleta Legally Justified
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I’ve never understood lethal shootings by law enforcement when trying to “deescalate” a situation. Pretty sure a shot (if needed at all!) to the foot, leg, etc would put an end to the aggression (not to mention just a warning shot)…that’s my 2 cents & thank god I’ve never had to make that decision!
Or a taser could certainly have been used in this situation.
When a suspect charges an officer with a knife, law enforcement protocols typically reference the “21-foot rule” as a guideline, though it’s not a strict legal standard. This principle, based on studies like the Tueller Drill, suggests that an average person can close a 21-foot distance in about 1.5 seconds, potentially leaving an officer little time to react to a lethal threat. Officers are generally trained to use deadly force when they reasonably perceive an imminent threat to their life or others, considering factors like the suspect’s behavior, proximity, and intent. While 21 feet is often cited, the decision to open fire depends on the specific circumstances, including the officer’s ability to de-escalate, retreat, or use less-lethal options, with policies varying by department and jurisdiction.
Like, backing up and tasing. That could have worked.
Like it did for Las Cruces Officer Jonah Hernandez?
I never understood people
who have no idea what they are talking about on topics they don’t know a thing about. First, you must have never shot a fire arm once in your life, why would anyone aim for the arms and legs on a moving target? You shoot and make sure your back stop is not openly into the public. Have you ever shot a moving target? Also when someone pulls out a knife and is using deadly force, your safety is priority over theirs. Have you ever been in a situation where a man wields a knife and charges at you? Would you want to have pepper spray or a taser that might not even stop the target when executed perfectly? Also no one discharges a warning shot because that’s stupid. Anyone who says that is extremely ignorant, putting public safety at risk for literally nothing.
I’ve been charged at by someone with a knife several times in my life, have never been stabbed, have never carried a firearm everywhere I go and have never killed anyone. Maybe common sense works better than police training 🤷♂️
That’s so sad for you.
You must watch a lot of TV and movies (and think they portray reality).
No, it’s called having the knowledge from loved ones who spent many years as law enforcement officers without killing anyone but constantly using one’s brain and physical abilities to control the situations in humane and compassionate ways that promoted trust and respect!
No LEO is trained to aim for “the foot, leg, etc”.
Yeah they do that all the time on TV why not in real life?
Obviously he had issues, given the situation and the end result.
I wasn’t there, but he had to do something to provoke such a response from the officers.
I don’t think so I seen a video of 3 offices shoot the hell at a men in a parked car years ago they were all scared to death they pretty much unload there 3 weapons and the men in the car was hit once all three of the officers were about 4 to 5 feet from the man’s car.
There killing people illegal & making it look and sound legit & legal most of them are dirty, drunks,and do drugs during there working hours believe me they will be caught just like the office Day you can run but you can’t hide we know where you are most the time we are watching every step you make we’ll get you yet.
He may have been all of those amazing things but there is a reason he used an alias, was naked draped in a towel at a family center and armed with a knife. I hope the family get’s the answers they need.
he is obviously not “addict build,” meaning he is well muscled and healthy looking and clean; he is wearing shorts and shoes and has his shirt tied at the waist, possibly he took it off so it did not get bloody. The towels are around him probably to deal with the blood from a bandaged injury. There is clearly a story behind whatever led to his violent death. None of us know what that story is.
Its really hard to express to people in the community, that don’t have family members/loved ones with mental health issues. How difficult it can be to keep them safe. For some families its drug use that further creates a boundary that makes it difficult to care for and protect the ones they love.
I certainly don’t feel its for a lacking for trying. But when your on the receiving end of a violent irrational and safety threatening outburst. Its hard not to act the way your trained to protect yourself.
Its just an all around shitty for everyone. its sad an difficult and frustrating for everyone.
I’ve walked into the receiving end of violet irrational and safety threatening outbursts among strangers with weapons and each time i was able to descalate and intercede and save lives without any training or weapon myself. Wounldn’t try it with an automatic weapon but knives all day long. EPD and local law enforcement are sadly a bunch of over equipped undertrained clowns.
Wow, that’s amazing!
You’ve also probably fixed leaky pipes in your house and potholes on your driveway- do you feel the same disdain for Professional Plumbers and Road Engineers?
These guys deal with crazy shit EVERY.Single.Day.
I’ve seen EPD and HCSO de-escalate several situations in the last couple years with an incredibly impressive level of patience and compassion.
The majority** of local LEO’s are impressively professional and compassionate young men and women, you must live in a bubble.
He pulled a knife and charged deputies and was neutralized. Too bad he made the choice to attack officers. Glad everyone good came home alive and well to their families he got exactly what he aimed to do to the officers. Good Job 👍
Fuck the police. My best friend’s brother is a federal marshal that goes after way more dangerous criminals, and they don’t shoot them. They bring them in alive. He calls these cops scared pussies. That’s why they shoot first
Scared pussies sounds about right.
Nice misogyny!
Interesting take. Thanks for sharing. Maybe the cop who shot him can weigh in, on here. Or maybe he already has, given some of the responses today
Cop hasn’t said shit. The union attorney (any attorney) told him/her to stfu. The truth is what’s provable and what’s probable rarely is the truth.
Exactly 💯 % on target they are scared little Punta’s they are killing people illegal & making it legit & look & sound legal they do drugs & drink on the job there corrupt as hell i could go on but I said enough.
Sorry for the loss,and for the officers who now have to deal with defending themselves, it doesn’t matter if it was drugs a mental breakdown or both the officers did what they are trained to do even if was your grandma the end result would be the same.
Wrongful death Lawsuit.
No way…
Oh yeah, way.
Some asshole lawyer will con the family into a 20 million dollar lawsuit. And the county, etc. will most certainly settle out of court to avoid the cost of a court battle.
The only winner is the asshole lawyer. The family won’t get their son back.
That’s always a possibility.
What is messed up , but not surprising , is the gas lighting on the part of the Humboldt County sheriff department, and by default the media.
Because as the story has progressed everyone begins to leave out the crucial detail that this engagement started when the first call was received “On June 5 at 2:16 p.m...
The lethal confrontation didn’t happen until 90 minutes later at around 3:30.
And how COMPLETELY stupid of law enforcement to have not removed weapons from this suspect / victim in the 90 minutes prior! Talk about failing. Every report and Hansal’s idiotic press conference try to paint *an injured bleeding (unstable) man* as some kind of a criminal threat. 🙄 But they never searched him?
Just a damn shame it had to play out this way. I’m team taser and psych intervention in this case. It’s obvious to anyone with half a brain they really dropped the ball and screwed up royally on this one.
LEOs didn’t do their job! They were too “afraid” to defend themselves against a one-arm guy, with what? A knife? Prove it. Notice they haven’t posted a picture of the weapo. Let’s see that big bad threatening knife, HCSO. I imagine it’s probably a plastic nothing, or a twig or something equally non-threatening.or they would have already plastered that picture everywhere.
How embarrassing. Logic tells everyone that’s suspect could not have been in possession of a knife because according to police protocol everywhere across this great country they immediately search /pat down suspects that they come in contact with. -for everyone’s safety-
And if they failed to do that,and he (the reportedly mentally unstable person) did have a knife, whose damn fault is it?
Wrongful death lawsuit is a given at this point.
I see your point somewhat, but think about this… Law enforcement didn’t show up to shoot this man. They show up for a guy in a towel bleeding from his arm. From the picture I would only assume the knife was in his property that he was sitting on. What isn’t reported is that the deputies were letting this man get dressed. Eye witnesses say he had clothes on when it escalated. Somewhere in that 90 minutes the knife showed. Now I’m no lawyer, but has there been any “wrongful death” lawsuit won against police where the suspect was armed?
It’s likely there are security cameras where the shooting took place, and the LEO could have worn a personal camera. Info that will aid in the investigation.
They already said officers were wearing body cams
Body cams should go into the cloud instantly and be afforded for public view without any made up delay.
I only have second hand story from an eye witness to the whole thing. This is my son. Now when this happened he was bothered by seeing someone shot to death directly in front of him. As I’ve came across someone dying from a stab wound when I was young, let me tell you it can be traumatizing. I’ve been worried about his mental health since it happened. Although I’m a little mad at the Sherriff’s Deputy for being so reckless, Officers need to protect themselves, and their partners. My son in law is also a Sherriff’s deputy, and I would hate for this to have happened to him. That being said my son said this man looked to be on something, or having mental health issues. Officers allowed him to get dressed, and somewhere in his clothing a knife came out. After charging at the Officer with the knife, the other officer shot him. This wasn’t a “could have tased him” situation. You get a split second to react. Now the reason I say the Officer was reckless and I’m upset is because there were stray bullets that nearly hit my son. My son was inside of a truck, in the passenger seat where a bullet came inside about 4 inches away from striking him. NOT FUCKING COOL! When I was told that, the thought sent shivers through my body. Not only that, they took the truck away from his friend as “evidence.” I’ve encouraged my son to tell his story, but he doesn’t like to talk about it. My condolences goes out to the family, as i know this can be hard. My hope is that the body cam gives more information, and my prayers 🙏 will be with them.
Wow, thanks for sharing this with us. Heavy happenings, indeed
Oh, he’ll be telling his story eventually. Hugs to him, that’s gotta be tough to experience.
Please contact the family. I am sure you would want to talk to any witnesses as a parent.
I was there. And the officers didnt have to shoot him. They put bystanders at risk . A stray bullet hit a truck. Tell me if it was a kid that got hit instead of a truck
My son was inside said truck, and it went through the door. Yes it could have hit him, and yes I think they put people at risk, but he said the man was charging the Deputy with a knife in his hand. So although I’m mad about it, I’m not sure anyone can say how they would react if in the Officers shoes. It’s a tragedy either way. Just glad my son is still here
Why didn’t they shoot him in the leg WTF?
EXACTLY!
Officers are trained to aim for the center of mass, i.e. the torso. Aiming for a limb on a moving person has a very high likelihood of missing (and maybe hitting someone else). You may only have one shot, and it needs to stop the person, whether they’re coming at you with a knife or aiming a rifle at your partner.
A shot to the chest suggests the intent to kill. It’s alarming that these deputies haven’t received adequate training. A shot to the knee could have incapacitated him. It appears this deputy panicked and shot a man who was clearly in distress, possibly due to a mental breakdown or some substance that altered his behavior. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family. I hope they uncover the full truth of what happened. May he rest in peace.
You watch too much tv…
Thats like saying you should be expected to move out of the way of an oncoming car in your lane on a blind curve.
if you expect cops to perform James Bond
moves, pay them accordingly
There’s no grey area. In all firearm training, LEO, security, concealed carry or any other the 21 foot rule for knife attack is stressed. That is the distance that can be covered before a gun can be upholstered and a round fired. At close range a knife is as deadly as a gun. Secondly, center mass is the safest place to aim as smaller targets are harder to hit. And finally, firearms and knives are both lethal weapons. A threat with a knife is a lethal threat and lethal force in response is what is trained over and over.
If they aimed for center mass, and still hit a truck with an innocent person inside, maybe some extra training at the range could facilitate a shot to the leg. Otherwise, the attempt might end up killing someone other than the intended “target.”
Mendocino Sherriffs tapered a father this weekend and killed him. Humboldt 1 Mendo 1
Remember Michael Brown.
You mean the violent thug from Ferguson?
i’m sorry for your loss, so sad
I find myself wondering why he traveled to Humboldt County and why he used an alias.
If I need quality medical care, I often need to travel because it’s not available in Humboldt. It seems unlikely anyone would travel to Humboldt for medical care.
You all act like arm chair law enforcement officers… do your research, you would surprised how quick and bad something can happen with a knife in a matter of feet and seconds. Don’t underestimate someone’s will to cause damage. This guy was suicidal if he was running at the cops knowing very well the outcome… and his arm was already “cut”… pretty sure that was self-inflicted