A police officer and a 31 year old man were both shot Thursday afternoon inside Pittsburg police headquarters in Contra Costa County. The shooting took place in the booking area while the man was being processed after his arrest. Pittsburg police reported that an officer was alone with the man when a physical altercation began. During the struggle a firearm discharged and struck both men.
The department has not said who owned the gun or who fired it. The officer was shot in the abdomen and taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. He underwent surgery Thursday evening and was listed in serious but stable condition. Doctors expect him to survive.
The 31 year old man was shot in the leg and listed in stable condition at a hospital. Neither man has been identified by name. The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at the Civic Center complex on Civic Avenue, where City Hall and police headquarters share the same building. The entire site was shut down and treated as an active crime scene.
Caution tape went up and a large number of officers from multiple agencies arrived along with firefighters and paramedics. The official statement from the Pittsburg Police Department was brief. Officers had arrested a 31 year old male and brought him to headquarters for booking. While in booking a physical altercation occurred between the suspect and a solo officer.
A firearm discharged and struck both. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and the department’s own investigations division are handling the case. Police sources speaking to local news outlets provided additional details that the department itself has not confirmed. Those sources said the man was arrested earlier in the day on a felony charge and placed in a holding cell.
He was not properly searched, or possibly not searched at all. Hours later, when officers arrived to transport him to county jail, he produced a handgun. A struggle for the weapon followed. The gun fired.
The bullet passed through the man’s leg and struck the officer in the stomach. A second officer received a minor injury during the scuffle that followed the shooting and was treated at the scene or a hospital. That officer was not shot. Standard procedure in most California police departments requires officers who handle inmates in booking or holding areas to lock their service weapons in a secure box before entering.
They typically carry pepper spray, a Taser, a baton and handcuffs instead. The presence of a loaded firearm in that restricted space is one of the central unanswered questions in the investigation. Pittsburg Police Chief Phil Galer issued a statement praising his officers. He said they acted heroically and thanked Contra Costa County paramedics, firefighters and surrounding agencies for their rapid support.
He said the community hoped for a full recovery for the wounded officer. Mayor Dionne Adams said her heart was with the police department, the injured officer and his family. She described the violence as deeply troubling and out of place in a city that has worked to build stronger ties between police and residents. City Manager Darin Gale said city staff were relieved the officer was stable and credited first responders with preventing a worse outcome.
No body camera footage or booking video has been released. Investigators have not disclosed whether the gun belonged to the officer, the suspect or someone else. They have not said whether the discharge was intentional or accidental. The man’s name and the exact charges that led to his arrest remain withheld.
The shooting has left the department and the public with a short list of confirmed facts and a longer list of unknowns. How a gun reached the booking area, why a search apparently failed, and what exactly happened in the seconds before the shot was fired are all under review. Both men survived. The investigation continues.
