By Dianne de Guzman
Times-Herald, Vallejo
VALLEJO, Calif. — A man who was fatally shot by a Vallejo police officer Saturday night left “a letter of apology,” police said in a press release issued a few hours later.
The shooting occurred at about 6 p.m. in the Sleep Train store parking lot at the Vallejo Corners Shopping Center. One witness from a nearby McDonald’s, which shares the parking lot where the incident took place, was in her car when she saw a police patrol car trailing a black pickup truck headed northbound on Admiral Callaghan Lane. She said the truck turned into the parking lot at a high-rated speed, before coming to a stop just east of the Sleep Train store.
In the release, police said 9-1-1 received a report from a man who was driving through the parking lot of the Target Center near Sleep Train when his car was struck by a beer bottle. The man then noticed a man holding a large knife standing next to a dark-colored truck “appearing extremely agitated.”
A responding officer arrived on scene and located the truck and the suspect. The officer exited his patrol car and “was immediately confronted by the male suspect who was armed with a large knife,” according to the release.
The officer also noticed a firearm in the suspect’s waistband, police said.
“The officer ordered the suspect to drop the knife several times, but the suspect refused to comply and advanced on the officer. The officer discharged his firearm, striking the suspect,” the release stated.
That same witness said she heard approximately 10 to 12 shots fired at the scene, while another person confirmed via social media that they heard at least six shots fired.
The knife and the firearm, which was later identified as a replica gun, were recovered at the scene.
The man was transported to an area trauma center where he succumbed to his injuries at 7:50 p.m., police said.
His identification, however, was not released late Saturday pending notification of next of kin, though police said the suspect “had previous contacts with law enforcement to include gun-related charges.”
During the investigation, police located a note, which was “a letter of apology for the trouble, which the suspect caused. In addition, he apologized to the police that were forced to end his life,” according to the release.
The Solano County Fatal Incident Protocol was initiated as a joint investigation between the Solano County District Attorney’s Office and the Vallejo Police Department began. As standard protocol, the involved officer has been placed on administrative leave.
California Highway Patrol officers were also at the scene to assist.
Anyone with information related to this event is asked to call Detective Sean Kenney at 707-648-4524
This marks the second officer-involved shooting this year in Vallejo. The last officer-involved shooting occurred on Feb. 22, when Gerald Brown, 23, was wounded after he was shot multiple times by officers after he allegedly rammed his car into a patrol vehicle, following a vehicle pursuit through residential neighborhoods.
Copyright 2015 Times-Herald