Sunday, February 14, 2010

Fremont, CA: Fremont cops kill man, say he pointed handgun

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, February 14, 2010
(02-14) 16:01 PST FREMONT --

A Fremont man in a Valentine's Day argument with his wife was shot and killed today by police officers after he pointed a gun at them, authorities said.

The unidentified 52-year-old man was shot at about 12:10 p.m. outside a home on the 3500 block of Norfolk Road, said Fremont police Detective Bill Veteran, a department spokesman.

The incident began at about 11:40 a.m. when officers responded to reports of a family-related disturbance at the home, Veteran said. He said police were told that the man who lived there had been drinking, was arguing with his wife and was armed with a handgun.

A group of officers found the man in front of his garage and tried to talk with him as other officers removed his wife and 10-year-old daughter from the back of the home, Veteran said.

Police briefly negotiated with the man before he "raised the handgun in the direction of the officers," Veteran said.

Four officers opened fire, killing the man, Veteran said.

The officers, whose names were withheld, were placed on paid leave, which is routine in police shootings, pending investigations by Fremont police and the Alameda County district attorney's office.

A Tracy man said today that he believes the man is his brother-in-law. The Chronicle is not naming either man because not all family members have been notified.

The Tracy man said he was shocked by what happened, saying he was not aware of any marital difficulties involving the couple, who had been married for at least 16 years, nor any reason why his brother-in-law would want to engage in a confrontation with police.

"He's always been a very carefree and nice guy," he said. "I've had very little problems with him. He's always been very cordial to me and my family. They're very church-going people."

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

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