San Pablo Police on Wednesday afternoon fatally shot a man carrying an air soft gun which they mistook for a real firearm. The four officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Police responded to a call at 2:27 p.m. from a local store clerk at Market Ave. and Fred Jackson Way in San Pablo who said he saw a man with a gun in the parking lot.
San Pablo police Capt. Brian Bubar said the man was removing the magazine and putting it back in, causing the clerk to fear he would come inside the business and "be a danger," according to the East Bay Times.
Shortly before authorities arrived on the scene, the 45-year-old man entered a red pick up truck and began swerving around others vehicles in traffic. Officers conducted a high risk traffic stop at Truman St. in unincorporated North Richmond.
The man eventually exited the vehicle while holding the airsoft gun, and began mimicking as if he was pulling the slide back on the firearm, before turning the gun towards officers.
Bubar said he was ordered "repeatedly" to drop the weapon, and would not comply, the outlet reported.
Four officers fired at the man, striking him and sending him to the ground. Paramedics arrived on the scene, but the man died on his way to the hospital.
Investigators discovered that the hand gun was actually an air soft gun. Police added that the gun was tampered with because it did not have a bright orange tip, which is the universal signal to others that it is not real, KTVU reported.
The four officers who killed the man have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by The Department of Justice, the Contra Costa County District Attorney and San Pablo Police.
KCBS Radio has reached out to San Pablo Police for more information and has not heard back.
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