Sergeant recounts harrowing gunfight at gas station

By Nicole Comstock, Matthew Rodriguez

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    BERNARDIO COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Alone and wounded, Sergeant Shane Andersen’s body camera captured the brief moments he had before a gunman came back to kill him during a shootout in December 2023.

“I just took some breaths and handled the situation as it unfolded,” Andersen said.

The gun battle happened on Dec. 1, 2023, just outside the doors of the gas station’s convenience store in the 13600 block of Bear Valley Road after a woman locked herself inside the bathroom. In the dispatcher’s audio released with the video, the woman asked the clerks to call 911 after her 27-year-old boyfriend Jorge Cardenas threatened her with a gun.

“She is still in the restroom. She does not want to go out,” the clerk said.

The clerk told the dispatcher that Cardenas was waiting outside in a silver Nissan Altima. About six minutes after the call, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department sergeant pulled into the gas station and stopped behind Cardenas’ vehicle. Shortly after, Cardenas drew a gun from his waistband and shot Andersen.

“I was shot in my right thigh, my left thigh, my left calf, the bottom of my right foot and one round went through my taser and hit my vest,” Andersen said.

Despite being shot five times, the now 18-year veteran calmly radioed for help and reloaded his handgun as Cardenas walked outside. He had just loaded a new magazine when Cardenas started shooting again. Andersen quickly returned fire and killed the suspect.

No one sustained injuries other than Andersen and Cardenas.

“It knew that as long as I could deal with him, then everybody else was gonna make it out OK,” Andersen said.

After his harrowing survival, Andersen spent two months recovering from his wounds before returning to work.

“It was really important to me to show everybody that this wasn’t going to slow me down or hold me back,” Andersen said. “One of the things I would like to convey is that I love this job. I’ve been doing it for 18 years. It is even more rewarding than I imagined it was going to be.”

Sheriff Shannon Dicus said since 2021, there have been 75 deputy shootings.

“Think about the pressures that come from that officer’s families,” Dicus said. “They don’t want them to go back out there.”

The California State Sheriff’s Association awarded Andersen the Medal of Valor after the shooting.

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