A San Pablo police officer shot and critically injured a 44-year-old man after he attacked an officer with a metal pole Friday afternoon, according to police.
At 1:39 p.m., San Pablo police responded to a call from a female requesting mental health assistance for her husband, 44-year-old Andre Smith. She said Smith was showing signs of schizophrenia and she was concerned about how he would react to the police response.
When officers arrived, Smith, who is not a resident of the home, was locked inside a room and he refused their requests to speak. Smith’s wife said her husband wasn’t acting violently at the time and agreed to call the police. She agreed to call police if he exited and needed further assistance, police said.
Then at 2:52 p.m., the wife called 911 again asking for police assistance, as Smith had exited the room and was harassing her, police said. Smith was then reportedly outside of the house and she did not want him to return.
“As the Dispatcher was on the phone, Smith was overheard in the background yelling comments that he would kill police officers and make them kill him,” police said.
Officers, who had learned that family members and children were still inside the home, went to the scene and began communicating with Smith in the front yard.
According to police, Smith refused to listen to the officer’s orders and at one point began throwing brick pieces at them. While officers deployed Tasers and bean bag rounds on Smith, they didn’t work. Smith “grabbed a folding chair as a shield and raised a three-foot metal pole while charging at one of the officers in the front yard,” police said.
After Smith swung a pole at the officer, who ducked, another officer fired one round from his firearm, striking Smith in the upper right leg. Smith was subsequently detained, provided medical aid and then transported to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Per protocol, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is leading the investigation of this shooting incident in coordination with the San Pablo Police Department.
The officers involved will be placed on paid administrative leave per Contra Costa County protocol.
“More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available,” police said.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the San Pablo Police Investigations Division at 510-215-3150.
