In the deputies’ defense, the man they shot had called 911, claimed that he had a gun, and said that he intended to harm people with it. But when the smoke had cleared, it turns out the man was just carrying a pipe.
KTVU has the news that Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a man who they thought was brandishing a gun at around 3:15 am Monday morning in the San Leandro area, on the 16000 block of Selborne Drive. The deputies said they saw the man as an "immediate threat," and KTVU reports that "Surveillance video obtained by KTVU shows the man slowly walking toward deputies before raising an object at them."
Deputies thought he had a gun, and they had reason to think that. The man had reportedly phoned 911 claiming he had a gun, and saying that he intended to harm people with it. But once deputies assessed the scene after the shooting, it turned out the man was only holding a pipe.
The man who was shot has not yet been identified. Alameda County Sheriff's Sergeant Roberto Morales told KTVU there was a "press hold" on the man’s name, and did not clarify how long that hold would remain in effect.
Either way, state Attorney General Rob Bonta's office is obliged to investigate the shooting. Bonta’s office now investigates all officer-involved shootings wherein the suspect was not armed with a gun.
This is the first time Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies have shot and killed someone since July 3, 2023, when they shot and killed a man who appeared to be trying to grab a gun away from a California Highway Patrol officer.
Update: Bay Area News Group now has information on the victim, after his mother, Kristina Anderson, has gone public decrying the killing of her son, saying, "I can’t believe this is the country I am living in. Because this is not supposed to happen to anyone."
His name was reportedly Anthony Anderson, and he was 40 years old. Anderson was born in San Francisco and was reportedly an accomplished trumpet player.
Kristina Anderson questions Alameda County deputies' description of events, and says, "He just was having problems with depression, and he was reaching out for help. And the help he got was to get killed."
She adds, "Anthony was incredible, wonderful, not a mean bone in his body."
Image: Alameda County Sheriff's Office via Facebook
