Police seek eyewitness at scene of fatal freeway shooting
(Photos supplied by Solano County Major Crimes Task Force; Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
Detectives with the Solano County Major Crimes Task Force are asking for the public’s help in locating an eyewitness that was at the scene of what became an officer-involved shooting late last month.
Police say they’re searching for a Good Samaritan tow truck driver who stopped to render his assistance to a driver following a solo vehicle collision along Interstate 80 near Midway Road on January 30.
The collision was reported around 10:30 p.m. that night, and the tow truck driver stopped to offer his help. Officers with the California Highway Patrol arrived on the scene a short time later, and the tow truck driver left the scene.
Around 11 p.m., officers confronted the driver of the vehicle and dispatched a report of shots fired. Prosecutors later said the driver, identified as 29-year-old Sacramento resident Karl Walker, pulled a loaded firearm on officers after they’d arrived on the scene.
Officers performed CPR on Walker as a medic crew arrived to the scene. The man died from his injuries a short time later.
At the time of the incident, Solano NewsNet reported Walker appeared inebriated shortly after the crash and may have been attempting to walk away from the scene, according to eyewitness accounts. It wasn’t clear if the person being sought by detectives was one of the eyewitnesses who observed Walker’s condition before the shooting.
Detectives say the tow truck driver being sought is believed to be a white male with dark, collar-length hair and a full beard. He was driving a flatbed-style tow truck with either a white or yellow cab.
Investigators say they want to speak with the tow truck driver as they continue to look into what happened that night. Anyone with information about the tow truck driver’s identity is asked to contact detectives at 707-784-1828 or 707-784-3088.
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