San Jose Officer Who Fatally Shot Suspect Also Involved In November Shooting
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- The San Jose police officer who shot and killed a suspect as he tried to ram the officer with a car was also involved in a previous shooting, according to authorities.
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday identified Bruce Barthelemy as the officer who fired the fatal shot.
The officer-involved shooting took place around 6:45 p.m. Monday in the area of White and Story roads in East San Jose just after police arrived to investigate an unrelated case, sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.
Barthelemy was also involved in a shooting in November in which he shot and injured a suspect involved in a violent crime spree in San Jose.
Cardoza said any previous shootings are not part of the current investigation.
"Any prior incidents or events that this officer may have been involved in, our agency did not investigate," Cardoza said. "So we can't speak to that."
San Jose Officer Who Fatally Shot Suspect Involved In Previous Incident
Before the shooting, members of San Jose police's METRO unit and dressed in plain clothes, noticed a suspicious vehicle and learned from checking the license plate that it had been reported stolen, Cardoza said.
The officers followed the car, a white Honda Civic, into a residential area northeast of White and Story roads and using flashing red lights and sirens tried to pull the car over.
The driver in the car slowed down at first but drove his vehicle right at two of the police cars and then crashed into an unoccupied parked car.
When of one the officers exited his car and ordered the suspect at gunpoint to come out, the driver ignored the demand and accelerated toward the officer.
In fear of his life, Barthelemy fired a round and hit the driver, Cardoza said.
The wounded suspect, a man in his 20s, was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The passenger in the Honda, also a man in his 20s, was arrested after officers found burglary tools on his person, Cardoza said.
He was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of violation of probation, possession of burglary tools and possession of stolen property, in connection with being in a stolen car, Cardoza said.
Barthelemy is a five-year veteran San Jose police officer, Cardoza said.
The shooting remained under investigation.
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