Father Of Child Shooting Victim Wounded By Vallejo Police
SUISUN CITY (CBS SF) – Hours after his two-year-old son was wounded in a shooting at the family's Suisun City home, a 41-year-old parolee was shot and critically injured by Vallejo police after he attempted to ambush two officers on their coffee break at a local Starbucks, authorities said Monday.
Vallejo police identified the suspect was identified as Adam Powell, a 41-year-old parolee who was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after confronting police with a weapon outside a Vallejo Starbucks late Sunday night.
Investigators said Powell pulled out a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle with a barrel-type magazine that holds 70 rounds of high-powered ammunition and pointed it through a window at the two officers as they were on a coffee break in a "premeditated ambush."
Police said Powell drove by the Starbucks at least six minutes before returning to enter the coffee shop with the assault weapon.
Powell pointed the weapon at the officers and manipulated it as if it had malfunctioned. He then fled when officers drew their guns.
Video from a nearby convenience store shows Powell as he heads toward the Starbucks. Shortly after, he is seen running back down Magazine Street as he was pursued by police. Police said Powell continue to try to use the assault weapon that had apparently jammed during the pursuit.
The chase ended near the intersection of Magazine and Sheridan streets when police shot Powell three times and confiscated his assault weapon.
Powell also had an additional handgun on him and was wearing a soft body armor, similar to what police officers wear under their uniforms.
Neither officer was injured.
Police said if Powell's gun had gone off, this could have been a tragedy.
"But officers in general around the country are on a heightened sense of alert now," said Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou. "These were two officers that weren't on during their normal course of duties that took action. They were sitting in a coffee shop taking a well-deserved break."
The incident came hours after Powell's two-year-old son was wounded in a shooting reported just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday in a home in the 1000 block of Canary Court.
The little boy was taken to a hospital and is listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound at a regional trauma center. Vallejo police said it was still being determined if the child was wounded accidentally or intentionally.
Several people were in the home at the time of the shooting, according to police.
Powell had fled the scene before police arrived. Suisun police are still trying to piece this together with what happened in Vallejo.
Powell is stable, but critical, at an area hospital. He has previously served time for robbery and drug-related offenses.
© Copyright 2016 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
