Pittsburg Police Release Body Cam Video Of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting
PITTSBURG (CBS SF) -- Police in Pittsburg on Friday released officer body camera footage of SWAT team standoff with a 37-year-old man after he held his family at gunpoint and fired on officers Monday night, ending with officers fatally shooting the suspect.
Pittsburg resident Salvador Morales was shot dead after he allegedly held his wife and baby at gunpoint. Pittsburg police released officers' body cam video footage, as well as video footage from inside a police vehicle of the shooting.
Officers received a report that Morales, an estranged husband, was holding his wife and baby at gunpoint in the 100 block of Carolyn Drive, a few blocks from the Pittsburg Center BART Station.
Officers also learned that Morales had shot his brother-in-law in the neck when he tried to intervene.
After shooting his brother-in-law, police said Morales then forced his wife and baby into his vehicle and drove away. Officers located the vehicle and followed it to Concord and then back to Pittsburg.
Morales stopped the vehicle in the 100 block of West 10th Street, at which point his wife ran from the vehicle with the baby to officers who were waiting nearby.
Morales also exited the vehicle and barricaded himself inside a home.
A crisis negotiation team and a tactical unit responded to the scene.
While negotiators communicated with Morales, requesting that he exit the home without the handgun, Morales walked with the gun to the front door of the home several times.
Morales then left the house and walked to the driveway with the gun, police said.
The SWAT team told Morales to put the gun down, but he did not. They then fired one less-lethal projectile at Morales.
Morales then fired his gun at officers.
Officers returned fire, striking Morales eight times.
The officers approached and removed the gun from Morales' possession before administering first aid until an ambulance arrived.
Medics pronounced Morales dead at John Muir Medical Center.
Pittsburg police officers said their thoughts are with Morales' family "during this difficult and tragic situation."
The officers who fired shots at Morales were all members of the SWAT team and were all multi-year veterans of the department. Their names are Sgt. William Hatcher, Sgt. Gabriel Palma, Acting Sgt. Charles Blazer and Cpl. Alex McCray, according to police.
The incident remains under investigation and is being jointly investigated by Pittsburg police and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.
