A man who authorities say opened fire at an apartment complex in Hayward Monday morning before leading law enforcement on a pursuit was fatally shot by police when he attempted to carjack a passerby at gunpoint in the Castro Valley area, officials said.
The police shooting happened at about 10:15 a.m. in the area of Palo Verde and Eden Canyon roads, Hayward Officer Cassondra Fovel and Alameda County Sheriff's Office Lt. Ray Kelly said.
Just before 10 a.m., Hayward officers were dispatched to an apartment complex off of Gary Drive to investigate a report of a domestic dispute, Fovel and Kelly said.
A man had showed up to his ex-partner's house, went inside the residence and caused an argument, Fovel said. People living at the complex were able to get the man outside and lock him out of the residence, but he continued to cause a disturbance.
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Witnesses said he took out a gun and fired multiple rounds, according to Fovel. He continued to shoot as he left the scene in a car.
Kelly said the man was armed with a handgun and had multiple magazines. He fired roughly 12 rounds when he was at the apartment complex.
"We believe that had people not intervened at that complex that it's likely that he might have committed a homicide," Kelly said.
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Officers later located the man as he was driving and a pursuit ensued, Fovel said.
"While the pursuit was going on, so far we've learned that he was actually holding the gun up to the pursuing officers and threatening them with a handgun," Kelly said. "This was a very active, unfolding situation. Very dynamic."
After the man exited Interstate 580 at Eden Canyon Road, officers used a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) to cause the man to spin out and end up on an embankment.
The suspect hopped out of the car and fled the scene on foot, still armed with a handgun, Fovel said. When he attempted to carjack a passerby at gunpoint, police opened fire, striking the man multiple times.
"One of the residents was on her way to work this morning when she came across this man with a gun," Kelly said. "[The man] stopped her car, put a gun to her and threatened to shoot her or take the car from her by force with that handgun. That's about the time that officers intervened and the shooting occurred."
The man was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead, Kelly said. His identity wasn't immediately released.
"It appears on the surface that he's got an extensive criminal history," Kelly said.
At least one Hayward police officer suffered injuries when he was struck by the man's vehicle following the PIT maneuver, Kelly said. The officer's injuries were said to be non-life-threatening.
An investigation is ongoing.
