Woman dead, man arrested at Clovis apartment

A woman is dead and a man under arrest on a murder charge following an incident at a Clovis apartment early this morning, police said.

Clovis police received a 911 call just after 2 a.m. from a man who said he had just killed his mother and that he was armed, spokeswoman Janet Stoll-Lee said.

At the apartment, located near Barstow and Villa avenues, a man who appeared to be in his 40s came out with one arm behind his back and appeared to be holding a weapon, Stoll-Lee said. Officers determined the weapon was a drill, not a handgun.

As he moved toward officers, he was hit by an electronic stun dart fired by the officers, Stoll-Lee said. He was taken into custody and booked on a charge of murder.

The woman, later identified as Ladonna Tidrick, 77, of Clovis, sustained injuries that included what appeared to be a small stab wound, Stoll-Lee said. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Police had not yet confirmed a mother-son relationship, Stoll-Lee said.

By Jim Guy / The Fresno Bee