Pleasanton (KRON) — A reportedly aggressive man was shot by police early Sunday morning during an investigation of an alarm sounding at a Pleasanton business, according to the Pleasanton Police Department. The shot man later died at Eden Medical Center.
Mark Geragos, an attorney for the family of 19-year-old John Deming Jr. who was killed, said he has “grave concerns” about the police practices that led to the shooting. In his statement he noted that Deming was a recent graduate from Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose and the son of an Oakdale reserve police officer.
Deming was shot after police officers responded to a burglary alarm at Specialty Sales Classics, a car dealership at 4321 First St., just after 2 a.m. According to police, Deming was outside acting agitated and aggressive when they arrived. He refused to comply with the officers’ commands and ran back into the car dealership. He tried to escape through a broken rear window at the car dealership, but one of the officers chased him, police said. There was an
altercation and the officer shot Deming.
Deming was rushed to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley but was pronounced dead a short time later. The officer suffered minor injuries in the confrontation.
According to Geragos, after the shooting, police searched Deming’s mother’s home for evidence. Without informing Linda Deming of her son’s death, they handcuffed her in her backyard at gunpoint, searched the
residence and seized electronic devices.When she asked where her son was, they told her simply, “He is with the sheriff’s department,” according to Geragos.
Deming was a football player, aspiring musician and active churchgoer who had never been arrested, according to Geragos.His father, Oakdale reserve police Officer John Deming Sr., said
in a statement, “My son Johnathon has always been a kind, loving, well-mannered and talented young man who respected others, loved music and had a boundless thirst for life.”
“Johnathon was fun, helpful and outgoing, he always did the right thing. He valued his friends and family and put others first. I will miss him every moment of every day,” Deming said.
The family has retained Geragos, a high-profile attorney based in Southern California who has represented clients such as Chris Brown and Michael Jackson, “to guide the family and ascertain the truth of how and why
John was killed,” according to the attorney’s statement.
Pleasanton police have not released any new information about the
shooting since Sunday.