Richmond detective involved in shooting on Interstate 80 near Hercules that left man dead

By Tim Fang

A man died after police said he was shot by a Richmond detective on Interstate 80 in Contra Costa County, closing the westbound lanes for most of Thursday.

Around 6:30 a.m., the California Highway Patrol began receiving reports that a gold or gray Nissan sedan was driving recklessly and striking vehicles through Vallejo. Police said they received one report that the vehicle’s hood flew up and blocked the windshield, yet the driver continued along the highway. 

A vehicle believed to be connected to the reports was found at about 7:15 a.m.,  stopped and blocking a lane of westbound I-80 near Highway 4 by a detective in an unmarked vehicle with the Richmond Police Department, police said. The detective stopped and activated their emergency lights. 

When the detective contacted the man, the Richmond Police Department said he was holding a metal object. Officers said there’s unconfirmed information that he may have been swinging the object at vehicles passing by before the detective arrived. 

During the detective’s encounter with him, Richmond police said an altercation happened and the detective fired their service weapon, wounding the man. Police said he was rendered aid at the scene and taken to a local trauma center, where he later died. The detective sustained minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital, police said. 

The identification of the man who died has not been released. 

Officers said the detective was not in uniform at the time of the shooting and was not wearing a body-worn camera. Police said detectives assigned to investigate divisions are able to wear business attire and are not required to wear body-worn cameras. 

Richmond police said because it’s unclear whether he had a weapon in his possession at the time of the shooting, the California Department of Justice will lead the investigation. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said the police shooting falls under Assembly Bill 1506, which requires the California Department of Justice to investigate officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed person.

Westbound I-80 was closed at the Hercules offramp until about 5 p.m.

The Hercules Police Department said in a statement that its officers were not involved in the incident, but they assisted with managing traffic.