Santa Rosa police shooting unfolds during journalist ride-along

Man shot and wounded by Santa Rosa police

A man who is apparently homeless was shot and critically wounded by a Santa Rosa police officer near downtown.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A man was shot by a Santa Rosa police officer and critically wounded Thursday morning following a confrontation, authorities said. The ordeal unfolded while the officer was on a ride-along with a photojournalist.

Incident began as unwanted person call

What we know:

The shooting happened around 11 a.m. near 10th and Washington streets, just north of downtown Santa Rosa.

Officers were dispatched to a report of an unwanted person who may have been sleeping in a driveway, Santa Rosa police Lt. Christopher Mahurin said.

Mahurin said an officer contacted the man, who was not cooperative.

"They were not compliant, not following directions the officer was giving him," Mahurin said. "Ultimately, things escalated. The officer deployed a Taser —  it didn’t have much effect."

The confrontation escalated further, and the officer fired her gun, striking the man.

Police declined to say how many shots were fired.

The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Ride-along and witness account

What they're saying:

The Press Democrat characterized this as a wellness check gone wrong. 

The photos from their journalist from the ride-along, Kent Porter, show the officer pointing her Taser at the man who has his arms extended. He appears to be holding a cell phone in his hand. The non-lethal weapon is pointed at him at close range.   

Robert Flippen, who is unhoused and was in the area at the time, said he saw part of the confrontation.

"He yelled, and then I saw him run out, and then I saw a cop run out," Flippen said. "She pulled out her gun and pow, pow."

Flippen said he does not know what led up to the shooting.

Investigation underway

Dig deeper:

Police confirmed the officer was the only one on scene at the time of the shooting. She was accompanied by a Santa Rosa Press Democrat photographer on a ride-along, who captured footage and images of the incident. The officer’s body-worn camera was also activated.

The shooting is being investigated by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and the sheriff’s office under a county protocol, authorities said.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia said the goal is to conduct a thorough investigation.

The officer who fired her weapon has been placed on routine paid administrative leave and will be formally interviewed at a later date.

The name of the injured man has not been released.