Pittsburg police kill man with gun at apartment complex; doorbell video captures gunfire
PITTSBURG, Calif. - Pittsburg police on Friday said that two officers killed a 31-year-old man who they said was armed with a gun, which he had pointed at them.
The shooting occurred at 9:21 p.m. Thursday at the Stoneman Apartment complex in the 2300 block of Loveridge Road.
In a Facebook post, Pittsburg police said they went to the address because someone called regarding a man who was holding a handgun and banging on the front door of an apartment.
Ring doorbell video captures sounds of gunfire as Pittsburg P.D. shot and killed armed man
Pittsburg police shot and killed a man at an apartment complex Thursday after police say the man allegedly pointed a gun at at them. Ring doorbell video captured the sounds of gunfire. A source tells KTVU the man's weapon was not loaded.
The man was reported to be the ex-boyfriend of the apartment resident, police said.
When officers arrived, they contacted him on a stairway leading to the second-floor apartment of his ex-girlfriend, authorities claimed.
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Officers said they asked the man to walk down the stairs and speak with them, but he ignored their commands and began walking back up the stairs away from police.
Officers followed him up the stairs and continued to ask him to stop, police said.
As the man reached the top of the stairs, officers saw he had a handgun in his right hand.
Officers then told the man to get on the ground and drop the handgun. The man turned towards the officers and pointed the handgun directly at them, police said.
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Two officers then used their service weapon, striking the man. The man immediately fell to the ground, still holding the handgun.
KTVU has learned that the man had manipulated the gun before allegedly pointing it at officers. The gun wasn't loaded, but a live round was found near his body, sources said, adding investigators believe he may have accidentally ejected the round.
A neighbor provided doorbell video to KTVU that captured the sound of gunshots about 9 p.m. on Thursday.
A man's voice can be heard saying, "drop the gun," twice, and pop-popping of gunfire. Five shots can be heard on the video.
For several minutes following the shooting, officers continued speaking with the man, asking him to drop the handgun so they could get him medical attention, police said.
The man did not respond to the officers' request, police said.
Eventually, officers were able to detain the man and immediately started life-saving measures until paramedics arrived.
However, the man died on scene.
Another neighbor, Khushboo Rahimi, said she fell asleep before the shooting and woke up to see yellow police tape surrounding her home.
"It's scary, it's shocking, especially for the family, for the people that are living here," she said. "It's not safe honestly. It's almost next door to me. I don't know what happened."
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office will be conducting an independent investigation into this incident. And the Pittsburg Police Department’s independent outside investigator is also conducting a parallel investigation. The department said it will be releasing body-cam footage within the coming days, as is required by law, along with the officers' names.
One officer has five years with the department, while the other has more than two years.