VALLEJO (BCN) — Police shot and killed a knife-wielding man who had a fake gun in his waistband and left a letter of apology to police for having to end his life, Vallejo police said.
Police received a 911 call Saturday at 5:47 p.m. from a citizen driving through the parking lot of the Target Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo, according to police. The citizen called police after a beer bottle struck the citizen’s vehicle and the citizen noticed a man armed with a knife standing next to a truck and appearing agitated, police said.
A uniformed officer responded to the parking lot, exited his car and the man with the knife confronted the officer, police said. Police said the man had a firearm in his waistband that later turned out to be a fake.
Police said the officer told the man several times to drop the knife, but the man refused and came toward the officer. The officer then discharged his gun striking the man, police said.
The man was taken to a trauma center and pronounced dead at 7:50 p.m., police said. The suspect’s name will be released after his next of kin have been notified, police said.
Police said the man had previous gun-related and other contacts with law enforcement. Police found the letter of apology inside the man’s vehicle. In the letter, the man apologized for the trouble he put police through.
The officer who shot the man has been placed on administrative leave as is standard protocol, police said. Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to call Detective Sean Kennedy at (707) 648-4524.