Deputy shoots, kills poker-wielding man

Friday, Oct. 30, 1998 | 9:56 a.m.

Two deputies responding to a 911 hangup call in the Hidden Valley area north of Reno found a door ajar and entered the home, only to be confronted by a man wielding a fireplace poker. When the man lunged at one officer, he was shot to death.

The concern is that Benjamin Hull, who would have turned 23 on Saturday, may have believed he was protecting his new wife and grandfather against intruders.

"If both felt they were defending themselves, that's obviously a very tragic situation," Deputy Reno Police Chief Jim Weston said Thursday afternoon.

The probe is being handled by the Reno Police Department since a sheriff's officer was involved.

The deputies are on routine administrative assignment until the investigation is concluded.

Deputy Victor Ruvalcaba, 35, fired three times. The eight-year veteran of the department reportedly broke into tears after Hull fell.

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