Richmond Police: Suspect was pointing AR-style rifle at officers before being fatally shot
RICHMOND – Police released bodycam video and other evidence Friday in a fatal police shooting in Richmond last month and said the suspect was pointing an AR-15-style rifle at officers when he was shot.
The shooting happened on June 28 at a home on the 1200 block of Sanderling Island in Point Richmond. At a news conference Friday morning, Richmond Police said that officers were there serving a search warrant involving the roommate of the man who was shot dead.
Following the shooting, officers found dozens of loaded weapons and a live hand grenade, which prompted the evacuation of the surrounding neighborhood while bomb squad technicians secured the device.
Police said detectives had been investigating reports of a person brandishing a firearm at pedestrians on June 18 and June 26, the latter incident also involving the suspect shooting the gun in the air. One of the victims in the latter incident identified the shooter as 63-year-old Richmond resident Jose Martinez.
Martinez, who had prior felony arrests that prohibited him from possessing firearms, was located on June 28 and arrested. Police said he admitted to possessing three additional firearms at his home on the 1200 block of Sanderling Island.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home and officers wearing tactical gear arrived to search the two-story home, announcing themselves as they went room-to-room, police said.
"The officers slowly and methodically cleared the residence, continually announcing their presence," said Richmond Police Chief Bisa French. "As they entered the last bedroom of the residence, they encountered 66-year-old Kevin McDonald seated on a bed, armed with an AR-15-style rifle. Mr. McDonald pointed the rifle at officers, and the [officer-involved shooting] occurred."
Richmond Police Department body cam video of June 28, 2023 fatal shooting - Warning, footage may be disturbing
On the bodycam video, officers are heard yelling "Richmond Police! Show me your hands! Show me your hands!" and then shouting "Gun! Gun!" before opening fire. Police on Friday identified the officers who opened fire as Officer Alexander Caine and Det. Robert Branch. Both are 16-year veterans of the department, police spokesman Sgt. Donald Patchin said.
After the shooting, one of the officers is seen removing the gun from McDonald's hand.
On the video, the room appeared to be a workshop where police said guns were possibly being manufactured. Officers later found 53 guns inside the house, 48 of them inside the room McDonald was in. Seventeen of the guns were privately manufactured "ghost guns."
Aside from the guns and the live hand grenade, police also found more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, Patchin said.
Another resident of the home, an 83-year-old woman who is a family member of McDonald, was at the home when police arrived. She was determined not to have been involved in any crime, was interviewed and released.
Police said the shooting is being investigated jointly by the department and the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office.
Martinez has been charged formally multiple counts related to brandishing and illegally possessing a firearm.
