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A Pleasanton police officer shot and killed an armed man while responding to a family dispute report late Saturday morning, according to a department spokeswoman.
According to Lt. Maria Munayer, the situation began around 11:35 a.m. when police received a call about a family disturbance on Burgundy Drive, located off Touriga Drive just southeast of the Bernal-Vineyard avenues intersection.
When officers arrived and approached the front of the house, the garage door opened with an armed man inside, according to Munayer.
The man, whose identity has not been released, “advanced on the officers while pointing a firearm in their direction,” Munayer said.
A responding officer fired his weapon, hitting the man, who died at the scene, Munayer said. Names of officers involved are being withheld at this time.
No officers or witnesses were injured during the situation, she added.
Pleasanton police are working with the Alameda County Crime Lab on the investigation, and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will conduct a separate investigation of the fatal officer-involved shooting, as is protocol, Munayer said.
No other details about the incident were released, with Munayer saying more information will be revealed when facts become available.
Saturday’s incident marks Pleasanton’s second fatal officer-involved shooting in less than two years.
San Jose resident John Deming Jr. was shot and killed by Officer Daniel Kunkel in the early-morning hours of July 5, 2015 during an altercation after the 19-year-old man reportedly tried to flee from police who were responding to a burglar alarm and found him acting erratically inside the Specialty Sales Classics car dealership on First Street.
The DA’s Office cleared Kunkel of criminal charges, deeming the officer acted in lawful self-defense. Deming’s family has sued the city and police department for wrongful death. The civil case is still pending.
Prior to that, Pleasanton police hadn’t had an officer-involved shooting of any kind since 2005 — the department’s last fatal officer-involved shooting was 2000.
Hearing the rapid shots and then the Pleasanton PD flying up the street we knew it was not good. Our safe little neighborhood…Can happen anywhere. First across from my work on Friday and this today…Guns. Torn how I feel…RIP to the man that passed.
Pleasanton is a very safe community,
we need only fear the police.
@edward — crawl back under your rock. An armed person points a gun at a cop and the cop should what, offer him a twinkie and a hug? You are an idiot. Thankfully no one else was injured. The next time you fear for your life don’t call the cops, you don’t deserve their help.
The only thing that is fact is PPD has killed another person. The details have been changing. Another news source says it’s unknown if a gun was pointed at police.
Completely agreed with Resident.
The only people to fear are those that want to make victims of criminals.
Pull a gun on a cop and youre choosing to die.
You should be apologizong to the officer that had to encounter and make the difficult split second decision to use lethal force over criminalizing him/her
Really Jeff? That is the only fact?
The police werent called to respond to an incident?
There wasnt an armed individual?
That individual didn’t listen to orders to drop his firearm?
The only fact is cop shot and killed person?
Also if youre going to claim “other news sources” without providing anu evidence of them, youre just a troll.
Who is youre other news source that was on the scene witnessing this event?
San jose mercury news, or did your oujia board spell it out for you with chicken blood and your magic 8 ball?
Who says what is irrelevant, PPD has already put out conflicting statements, so no we don’t know what happened.
So Jeff: the police are call to a disturbance and get there in a timely fashion. An unnamed person confronts said police with ‘something’ in his hand and is approaching. No doubt officer said something along the lines of STOP, POLICE etc etc. Unnamed person continues to advance. What SHOULD the police do in your opinion?
The police should be able to use less lethal force or, worse case, shoot that “something” out of their hands or shoot them in the thigh.
Just a few words….Please refrain from passing judgement. A family has lost a husband and father.
@Jeff
Police shoot the handgun out of the hand of the individual? LOL! You’ve been watching too many movies.
The problem is basically the same as that of the John Deming case. The police don’t have the technology to quickly and reliably neutralize a dangerous person without harming the individual. Maybe someday a phaser-like gadget with a “stun” setting like those you see on Star Trek will be invented but until then this is the way things are.
Jeff, stop watching Hollywood TV shows. Police are trained to shoot center mass.
@Yvette
It’s a sad situation, but by deciding to go get and hold a handgun – a device designed to launch small and deadly metal projectiles at high speeds as a result of a slight pull of a lever – this individual was endangering the lives of everyone in his neighborhood, men, women, and children alike.
Shoot first, apologize later. That’s commonly what cops are trained to do in America. In other countries, like in the U.K., cops use their firearm as a last resort. Do I think the police overly reacted in this case? No! The guy was armed. But it is questionable whether cops should always take the first shot. Why not try talking the perpetrator to disarm. It doesn’t sound like he had fired his gun yet. Of course, like most of you, I wasn’t there so whatever I’m saying is only worth 2 cents. But all too frequently we see cops pull the trigger before exhausting other less lethal options. Hopefully things will change for the better.
LOL…Someone is having a bit of fun messing with me. I did not post “shoot them in the thigh “.
Some of you are too rabid to have a respectful dialogue. COPs must be held accountable for everyone to be safe. In order to do so we must ask questions and demand transparency.
where are the riots and protest? oh, wait..nevermind
From what I’ve read and heard from people who live in the area, the FACTS are very limited. How are people on this thread coming up with all these opinions on both the cops and perpetrator when all the FACTS have not been released? I agree with Yvette, a family has lost a husband and father and regardless of how it happened it’s an awful situation for them. Wait til all the FACTS are in and then you can blog about it.
I see a lot of people from Oakland have run to their computers to troll our community. There will not be riots here. The police are profession, do a great job, and our community supports them.
@KW — “Hearing the rapid shots and then the Pleasanton PD flying up the street we knew it was not good. Our safe little neighborhood…Can happen anywhere. First across from my work on Friday and this today…Guns. Torn how I feel…RIP to the man that passed.”
Please email me your contact information at gchannell@pleasantonweekly.com. I’d like to talk with you. Can be off the record if you prefer.
Jeff,
Completely agree on holding people accountable, reviewing decisions to determine if there are better options, and transparency. And this is already part of the process in any situation where an officer discharges his or her weapon. Whats frustrating is when you take a position assuming the officers were wrong from the start. Your review of this should come from a position of support not one of condemnation
@Pleasanton Parent,
Why should his review come from a “position of support”? Why not a position of neutrality? Why a position of bias?
BobB – because the police are our community, we dont get to conveniently pick and choose when they are or are not and judge from a position of un-involvement. Given what they do for us they shouldn’t feel the need to have to worry about whether the community they support is going to turn its back on them when something difficult happens.
It doesnt mean we shouldnt debrief, review, improve, and disclose – but as these are std practices today there isnt a need to act as if they wont happen and hold our support until those things do.
And if something isnt right you can still support the police while also holding them responsibile
One fact is that there are people who will always criticize police officers’ use of force regardless of the circumstances.
I support the Pleasanton police department, Pleasanton has the best police force in California.
@Pleasanton Parent,
That sounds too much like “my country, right or wrong”. I prefer objectivity.
BobB – got news for you – this is your country right or wrong, as this is your community right or wrong.
I feel bad for you and your family if you cant be supportive and objective at the same time.
Someone expressed the sentiment better than I could have:
“I remember when I was a boy I heard repeated and repeated time and time again the phrase, ‘My country, right or wrong, my country!’ How absolutely absurd is such an idea. How absolutely absurd to teach this idea to the youth of the country.”
Edward writes an uneducated post saying “we need only fear the police” What I find surprising is 57 uneducated people agreed with him. For some reason, I thought the Tri-Valley was a place with well educated people. Clearly not. On the bright side, there are 57 less people the cops have to worry about since the 57 will never call the cops.
……..about since the 57 will never call the cops
Oh, but keep in mind a bunch of kids post here regularly in addition to trolls.
Another factoid: Those 57, once something happens that effects them directly they are calling 911 and then complaining when they feel it takes too long for the police to deal with THEIR issue. We call that ‘hypocrite’.
Dear Pleasanton. This was a very tragic event for a very dear family and neighbor. Please do you best to have discussions that are fact-based, thoughtful and respectful to the family AND to the PD personnel that were involved in the event. My heart goes out to both sides. I’m so so sorry this happened and our family is still trying make sense of it all. RIP my friend!
It my understanding Body cams are worn by Pleasanton police. I’m sure they recorded what happened. If turned on that is.
Unbelievable yet another person dead – shot by a police officer. Really! Why are these officers not trained to shoot in a not so fatal place? Arm to sis arm them, leg, knee?? Trigger happy all the time.
Really, aim non-center mass? I’m going to go with you have zero training and would struggle to figure out a firearm. Only in the kid movies you watch does somebody get ‘shot’ in the hand (and gun goes flying…as if).
gosh, what happens if you do miss center mass and the ‘purp’ keeps coming at you (or worse) is still able to get a shot off?
Its the details that make you sound like a child.
Calm Down Everyone! We are a community. Stop acting like haters you read on Twitter etc.
This is a very serious situation. Someone died. A cop was threatened and could have died or an innocent bystander could have died.
The cop did what s/he thought was right at the time.
We will get to the facts and then you can have an opinion. Let’s not start fighting with each other until we know all the facts.
These cops keep us safe and keep our beautiful way of life here in Pleasanton possible. Of course we have to keep the police in check and that process is happening with an investigation. It is my understanding that the cops in Pleasanton wear video cams so that should help sort out the investigation.
Lets stay calm and support the police officers who have to make split second life and death decisions. Lets pray for the victim and the persons involved.
Let’s get facts first before we go off on our own agenda.
People that are so quick to criticize the police make an environment where normal nice people are less inclined to become cops and the ego charged people are the ones going into this field. Its self fulfilling prophecies. Don’t be part of the problem. Be part of the solution. Getting to facts and full disclosure is the only good solution.
I have to weigh in after reading the comments above. First, I was not at the scene, I don’t have an anonymous source like most news agencies, and I do not have any voodoo powers to know what actually occurred. That being said, my support goes to the Police Officer, because I guarantee he or she is experiencing some real difficult emotions, feels sometimes alone because in part they have to re-live the call over and over again, and probably wishes they could have that day over without this call to respond too. Listen, this Officer didn’t go to work wanting this situation and outcome to have occurred. I can’t believe this is a fun experience. If you, the Officer from this officer involved shooting event, is reading my comment, please know my heart goes out to you, and I am supporting you and the rest of the Pleasanton Police Department. God speed.
There are only a few facts!
A father and husband is dead.
A Police offer will replay that day’s event in his head each day and second guess himself for a long time. For years that will be his dream at night time. (I’ve been there as soldier)
A man who was part of our community is dead he was not a drug deal or harden criminal.
Some of the greats weeks of our lives are graduating high school. Not for one young lady. She needs to attend her father funeral.
A wife who regardless of what happened Saturday love this man. Now must plan his funeral.
None of us know what happened that day or why it happened.
Stop placing blame.
Please let this family mourn in peace. In my view, all involved lost something on Saturday.
RIP.
suicide by cop
read this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_cop
Many of you are all passing judgement and were not there. First of all, look at what is being stated. Officers went to the scene and the man was acting irrationally. His wife and daughter were scared. Police arrived on and the man pointed a gun at them. What would you have them do, wait until he shot them to react?
Really? Police officers have families as well and they want to return to them. God bless the officer who protected himselfherself and shame on you who judge himher. It is tragic that someone lost their life but police officers do not go about their duties looking for someone to shoot. The video will bare out the facts and all of you who recklessly make rash judgements should be ashamed of yourselves. The Pleasanton Police Department is a fine organization and if you do not appreciate what they do maybe you should look again. Pleasanton is one of the best communities in California for a reason.