A Pittsburg police officer and a 31-year-old suspect were injured when a firearm was discharged during a physical struggle at a police station in California.
The incident happened shortly before 4pm on Thursday, 3 September, while the man was being booked at the department’s facility on Civic Avenue, near Highway 4.
According to a statement from the City of Pittsburg, the suspect had been arrested and was being processed by a lone officer when an altercation broke out. A firearm was discharged during the confrontation, striking both men.
Police have not said who the weapon belonged to, who was holding it or how it was fired. The circumstances remain under investigation.
Pittsburg police shooting under investigation
The officer was taken to a local hospital in serious but stable condition. The suspect was also taken to hospital and was listed as stable.
Neither the officer nor the suspect has been publicly identified.
Pittsburg Police Chief Phil Galer said officers had acted heroically and thanked Contra Costa County paramedics and firefighters, as well as neighbouring agencies, for responding. He said he hoped the injured officer would make a full recovery.
Mayor Dionne Adams described the shooting as an upsetting moment for the community and praised officers for their bravery and swift response.
Shanelle Scales-Preston, the Contra Costa County supervisor for the area and a former Pittsburg mayor, said she was “heartbroken and outraged” that an officer had been shot. She asked residents to support the officer, their family and the police department.
The Pittsburg Police Investigations Division and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office are jointly investigating the shooting. No further details about the original arrest or the events leading to the struggle have been released.
