Man pulled loaded gun before freeway shooting, investigators say
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
A man who was fatally shot by a California Highway Patrol officer over the weekend had earlier pulled a loaded gun on police, according to information from the Solano County District Attorney’s Office released on Monday.
The incident happened late Saturday evening along a portion of west-bound Interstate 80 near the Midway Road off-ramp and parallel to O’Day Road in Dixon.
As Solano NewsNet first reported, CHP officers were responding to a report of a single vehicle crash near the off-ramp around 10:30 p.m. Eyewitnesses reporting one person involved in the crash who appeared to be under the influence, according to dispatch logs.
Around 11 p.m., a CHP officer arrived on scene to assist with the crash. Within minutes, the officer said he was confronting a person at gunpoint, and second later there were dispatches of shots fired.
On Monday, Solano County prosecutors said preliminary information about the incident revealed the person involved in the crash “drew a loaded firearm” and threatened the safety of the responding officers.
The man died at the scene from his injuries. He has not been identified.
The Solano County Major Crimes Task Force, which was newly formed in the wake of fatal police shootings, is investigating the incident.
West-bound lanes of Interstate 80 were closed for several hours early Sunday morning as police worked to process the scene of the incident.
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