By Henry K. Lee
The San Francisco Chronicle
Related: But what if it isn’t really a gun?
UNION CITY — Union City police shot and wounded a man suspected of robbing a liquor store after he pointed a replica handgun at officers, authorities said today.
The 48-year-old Fremont man, whose name wasn’t released, was shot in the leg at about 5:15 p.m. Sunday behind the World Liquors Market at 34596 Alvarado-Niles Road. He was being treated at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley.
The incident began when police received a call from a clerk at the liquor store about a man who stole a bottle of liquor. When officers arrived, they saw a man matching the description standing on the sidewalk outside of the market.
The man began reaching for his waistband before running behind the store, police said. As he reached the back of the market, he produced a handgun, pointed it at officers and began moving toward them, authorities said.
An officer fired, hitting the man in the leg. No officers were injured in the incident.
The shooting is being investigated by Union City police.
Fremont police assisted with emergency calls and securing the scene after the incident, the second officer-involved shooting in the East Bay involving a replica gun in two days.
About 7 p.m. Friday, an Oakland police officer shot and killed a man waving a replica gun near the department’s Eastmont police substation on 73rd Avenue in East Oakland. The man’s identity hasn’t been released.
Copyright 2008 The San Francisco Chronicle