Dispatch audio sheds light on fatal Vallejo shooting
A mobile crisis unit was unavailable to respond before deputies shot and killed a man who was cutting himself with a knife.
(Image obtained by Solano NewsNet)
A community-based crisis intervention team was unavailable to respond to the scene of a car accident on Sunday that involved a person who was experiencing behavior linked to mental illness, according to dispatch audio from two law enforcement agencies reviewed by Solano NewsNet.
On Sunday, deputies with the Solano County Sheriff’s Office fatally shot a knife-wielding man in Vallejo who crashed a stolen vehicle, then later fled from bystanders while cutting himself with a blaze.
The description of the man’s erratic behavior was characterized by an eyewitness who saw the person crash the car around 7 p.m. near a gas station close to the intersection of Curtola Parkway and Sutter Street.
The man exited the vehicle and fled through several parking lots while carrying a knife, the eyewitness said. Video from the scene of the crash showed bystanders and at least one person in a security uniform chasing the individual through a Texaco gas station.
Around 6:45 p.m., a dispatcher with the Vallejo Police Department alerted officers to a “51-50 subject cutting themselves with a knife,” using the numerical police code to indicate a person who is experiencing a mental health episode and who may present a danger to themselves or to others.
A supervisor initially told the police department’s dispatch center to tap a “graveyard unit” to the scene, then later requested assistance from the Solano County Sheriff’s Office.
Radio transmissions reviewed by Solano NewsNet show the dispatch operator in charge of deploying sheriff’s deputies to the scene never mentioned that the person may have been experiencing a mental health episode. Still, a deputy asked if the county’s mobile crisis intervention team was available to respond. The dispatcher said no.
The county's mobile crisis intervention team became available in Vallejo last year. In a press release issued by the county's health office, officials said the team would be available to respond to calls Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., “but will extend to 7 days per week coverage upon full implementation.” A person familiar with the team's operation says it is not yet fully implemented anywhere in Solano County.
Deputies arrived on the scene less than 10 minutes later. Twenty seconds passed between the time the first deputy arrived on the scene and the shooting. An eyewitness told Solano NewsNet at least one deputy fired their gun six times; others who were near the scene said they heard as many as a dozen gunshots.
The man was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. He died of his injuries a short time later. His identity has not yet been released.
The Solano County Major Crimes Task Force will investigate the shooting, according to the Solano County Sheriff’s Office. The task force, which was formed by the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, comprises law enforcement personnel from each city agency in Solano County as well as the sheriff’s office.
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