Suspected shooter killed by train

A man killed attempting to cross the train tracks at West Sacramento Avenue early Sunday (May 19) morning was likely fleeing after firing a gun, Chico police report.

At about 3 a.m. Sunday, a Union Pacific Railroad train struck a man running across the tracks in an apparent attempt to beat the train, whose operators attempted to stop, according to a Chico Police Department press release. The man was identified as 30-year-old Pedro De La Torre.

Police found a revolver with expended cartridges in his pants pocket—suggesting he had fired the gun multiple times—and noted De La Torre was wearing a latex glove. Police say investigators spoke with several area residents who reported hearing multiple gunshots and the train’s whistle at around the same time.

Police received reports of a fight at the corner of West Second and Broadway streets about an hour before the accident. Responding officers recognized De La Torre, along with several other “suspected gang members,” as they fled the area.