The San Leandro Police Department has released a ‘community briefing’ video that includes recordings and officer-worn body-camera footage of a confrontation that led to an officer fatally shooting a man last month. The incident is under investigation by both the San Leandro Police Department and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office coroner’s division identified the deceased as Anthony Gomez, 56, of San Leandro.
In a video posted to YouTube, San Leandro Police Chief Jeff Tudor stated that the ongoing investigations required investigators to interview multiple witnesses, view hours of video footage, and analyze significant amounts of forensic evidence. He noted that the investigation could take several months to complete and that no conclusions about the officers’ actions consistent with the department’s use-of-force policy would be made until everything was finalized.
The video, narrated by San Leandro police Lt. Isaac Benabou, outlines the events leading up to the shooting. It began with a neighbor’s 911 call at 4:05 p.m. reporting an apparently drunk man walking around in public with a machete who had dropped his pants, exposing himself to some children. The neighbor identified the man in the 1900 block of North Boulevard as Gomez, stating he had earlier been driving a white Chrysler 300 unsafely around the neighborhood.
Police showed a brief clip the neighbor filmed of Gomez holding a machete. Benabou said the first officer on the scene, a nine-year veteran, saw Gomez in the street walking toward his home, dropping his machete in a driveway just before reaching the house, where he sat down on the front porch. Footage from that officer’s body-worn camera shows her following Gomez up to the home. Additional footage shows officers attempting to coordinate the use of protective equipment, including a less-lethal control device, and using a loudspeaker to call to Gomez and to his mother, hoping to prevent Gomez from retreating into the home and barricading himself inside.
One officer said he had dealt with Gomez over previous days, but no details were given. All officers on the scene had department-issued service weapons and Tasers, and each had activated body-worn cameras, as is department policy, Benabou said.
At 4:17 p.m., Gomez stood up and pulled what appeared to be a gun at the officers, pointing it in a threatening manner and challenging them, police said. One officer, identified as a 9½-year veteran, fired a single shot at Gomez, who fell off the home’s porch. Officers later found Gomez had pointed a dark-colored piece of wood about six inches in length. The officers were placed on administrative leave after the shooting, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The investigation is ongoing by the San Leandro police and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. The department has committed to transparency throughout the process.