SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California police officer was shot to death Tuesday after responding to a call about a man threatening to commit suicide.
The San Jose Police Department said responding officers were met with gunfire as they approached an apartment building and that a veteran officer was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. The officer was not identified.
Officers closed off several streets in East San Jose as they searched for the shooter.
Authorities said all San Jose police resources were being used, and outside help had been requested.
Dozens of officers swarmed the area of Senter and Umbarger roads to find the gunman, and nearby homes were evacuated. Officers and equipment, including armored vehicles and a helicopter, were summoned from neighboring police agencies, including the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale police, and the California Highway Patrol, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Residents were advised to stay inside as the search intensified, but dozens of people still gathered near the scene, watching as police helicopters circled overhead.
Condolences from police departments throughout California began pouring in on Twitter late Tuesday.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of San Jose PD at the traffic loss of a fellow peace officer,” the Sonoma Sheriff’s Department said in a tweet.
The last San Jose police officer killed in the line of duty was Officer Jeffrey Fontana, a rookie who was shot during a vehicle stop in South San Jose on October 28, 2001.
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