"Both hands out the window!" Video shows graphic, deadly standoff scene on I-80 Emeryville
EMERYVILLE, Calif. - A day after a homicide suspect was shot dead on Interstate Highway 80 in the East Bay on Tuesday during the morning commute, video from stranded motorists taken from the scene began to show a clearer picture of what led to officers opening fire on a man in a black SUV.
A particularly graphic video, shot by MSBird Esquire, shows the moment the officer-involved shooting occurred. Police, lined up on I-80 on the westbound site of the Powell Street exit in Emeryville, shout out, “Put your hands out the window. Both hands out the window. Right there, put your hands out the window. With your left hand, open the front door from the outside!"
Also on Thursday, Emeryville Police Capt. Oliver Collins on Thursday identified the suspect as Demilo Trayvon Hodge, 45, of San Leandro.
Collins said that Hodge at officers from Fairfield and Richmond, who were both chasing him. The officers from those agencies shot and struck the suspect, Collins said. Police, and several witnesses, said that Hodge fired first, before they shot at him, killing him on the freeway.
Collins added it will likely take "several weeks" to go through witness statements, review video evidence, and process physical evidence. After the investigation, the Emeryville Police Department will turn the report over to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Fairfield Police Lt. Robert Lenke said Hodge was wanted in connection with the death of 68-year-old William Freeman on Dec. 10, 2015.
Lenke would not say why Hodge was connected to that death or describe the motive behind the killing or the evidence in the case. In September, however, the police department said they had been working on the case and released a sketch of one of the two people suspected with killing Freeman.
Hodge had been in prison before. He had also been profiled Hodge was profiled in 2009 by KTVU.
At the time, he was a truck driver in Oakland, and told the station that he had been paroled from Lompoc State Prison in 2007 after serving time for possessing a firearm and narcotics for sale. Records also show that he and his ex-wife had also filed for bankruptcy.
KTVU reached out to several of Hodge's friends, his brother and an aunt on Facebook but did not immediately hear back. Hodge listed that he worked at Executive Excursion Limousine Services Airport shuttles. When KTVU called the number associated with that company, the voicemail was that of "Demilo" and stated he was the owner.
Lenke confirmed that Hodge ran a limo business. Hodge posted an award from the Napa Chamber of Commerce stating he won a small business award this year. A call to the chamber was not returned on Thursday.
MSBird Esquire's video shows the suspect, now identified as Hodge, at one point leaning out the window and turning around to talk to officers. No weapon is clearly seen in this shot. He exits his car, shots are fired and a police dog runs to him. Then, (at minute 5:15) the video shows officers firing off multiple rounds on the highway right by the Hilton Garden Inn. A witness told KTVU she heard about 50 shots. Several other witnesses told KTVU that it appeared the suspect did have a gun and fired at police.
The man is seen lying on the ground, flat on his back. Officers surround him. Some perform CPR on him.
On the video, a man can be heard saying , “They just f—king opened fire on him. What the f--- just happened to him? Did he do something? …They’re still f—ing yelling at him.” A woman can be heard crying on the video.
“They just killed him,” she said. Then she is heard crying.
KTVU's Alex Savidge contributed to this report.