06 Feb Update: Richmond Police Say They Believed Shooting Victim Had Knife in Hand

(Image courtesy of Richmond Police Department via Bay City News)

By Tony Hicks
Bay City News

Richmond police said the man they shot and killed Tuesday night charged at officers with what they believed was a knife.

Police said the object turned out to be a black knife sheath.

Less than 24 hours after the shooting, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Wednesday afternoon the state Department of Justice is investigating the killing, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506, which requires the state DOJ to investigate all officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian.

At 8:13 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to the 2700 block of Maine Avenue, attempting to locate someone wanted on a probation violation warrant related to domestic violence charges, Richmond police said on social media.

Officers located the person on the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way just west of the 300 block of Carlson Boulevard.

Police said the suspect refused to cooperate with officers and a standoff ensued. Officers spent approximately 32 minutes attempting to de-escalate the situation to reach a peaceful solution.

At approximately 8:53 p.m., police shot and killed the suspect.

Police said Wednesday evening the subject ignored multiple commands to drop the object. They said the suspect charged officers with the object in his hand while raising it in a threatening manner, which resulted in the shooting.

Richmond police said they are fully cooperating with the DOJ investigation.

Once its investigation is complete, the matter gets turned over to DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review.

Police said the Contra Costa County’s Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incidents Protocol, a set of guidelines and procedures dealing with officer-involved fatalities, was invoked, and the Contra Costa County’s District Attorney’s Office responded to investigate.

More information on the California Department of Justice’s role and responsibilities under AB 1506 is available here: https://oag.ca.gov/ois-incidents.

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