Ranger337
10-28-2001, 22:52
A rookie San Jose Police Officer was shot and killed on the morning of October 28th.
Here is the story as reported by the San Jose Mercury News:
A rookie San Jose police officer was shot and killed early this morning during a traffic stop at the end of a quiet, affluent Almaden Valley cul-de-sac, the first San Jose officer to die in the line of duty in two years.
The 24-year-old officer, whose name is being withheld by the San Jose police department, was gunned down on Calle Almaden Drive, a street of relatively new homes near Lake Almaden where the most recent worries about crime had been limited to a string of car break-ins. A neighbor reported that the officer had been shot around 4:30 a.m., and police descended on the scene for a manhunt that lasted well into the day.
At a news conference attended by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, Police Chief William Landsdowne confirmed the officer's death, the first San Jose police officer to be killed by gunfire since 1989. The officer had been on the San Jose police force for roughly one year, but was only in his second week of patrolling on his own after completing a 16-week training program.
Police refused to release details on the shooting, other than to say they believe it occurred during the course of traffic stop. The slain officer did not report on the reason for the stop before the fatal confrontation, but one San Jose police official said the victim was apparently caught off-guard completely.
Police would not disclose whether they had a suspect in custody, a source of concern among residents of Calle Almaden and nearby streets. The neighborhood was overrun in the pre-dawn hours by rifle toting officers in combat fatigues, police dogs and police helicopters searching for the killer. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and an American flag was placed in the street just a few feet from where the officer was shot.
``We are very concerned,'' said Prem Bhardooaj, who lives several houses down from where the officer was slain. ``We'd like to know who it is - this is a very quiet neighborhood"
Here is the story as reported by the San Jose Mercury News:
A rookie San Jose police officer was shot and killed early this morning during a traffic stop at the end of a quiet, affluent Almaden Valley cul-de-sac, the first San Jose officer to die in the line of duty in two years.
The 24-year-old officer, whose name is being withheld by the San Jose police department, was gunned down on Calle Almaden Drive, a street of relatively new homes near Lake Almaden where the most recent worries about crime had been limited to a string of car break-ins. A neighbor reported that the officer had been shot around 4:30 a.m., and police descended on the scene for a manhunt that lasted well into the day.
At a news conference attended by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, Police Chief William Landsdowne confirmed the officer's death, the first San Jose police officer to be killed by gunfire since 1989. The officer had been on the San Jose police force for roughly one year, but was only in his second week of patrolling on his own after completing a 16-week training program.
Police refused to release details on the shooting, other than to say they believe it occurred during the course of traffic stop. The slain officer did not report on the reason for the stop before the fatal confrontation, but one San Jose police official said the victim was apparently caught off-guard completely.
Police would not disclose whether they had a suspect in custody, a source of concern among residents of Calle Almaden and nearby streets. The neighborhood was overrun in the pre-dawn hours by rifle toting officers in combat fatigues, police dogs and police helicopters searching for the killer. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and an American flag was placed in the street just a few feet from where the officer was shot.
``We are very concerned,'' said Prem Bhardooaj, who lives several houses down from where the officer was slain. ``We'd like to know who it is - this is a very quiet neighborhood"