SAN JOSE — A San Jose police sergeant was recovering Thursday after a bullet grazed his head during a close-range gunfight Wednesday with a carjacking suspect who later died when shot and struck by a police SUV in downtown San Jose, authorities said.
Police gave the update one day after a sprawling, nearly two-hour chase that stretched from Hollister to San Jose and involved multiple law enforcement agencies. San Jose police Chief Paul Joseph said at an afternoon news conference that the sergeant, who has 13 years of service with the department, suffered a skull fracture.
Law-enforcement sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly, said the sergeant was expected to be released from the hospital Thursday afternoon.
Joseph said that, near the end of the incident, the suspect had collided with a stopped vehicle near Notre Dame Avenue and West Julian Street. The police sergeant was arriving in pursuit when the suspect got out of the car and “charged” at the sergeant, Joseph said, immediately firing on him.
The sergeant got out of his vehicle having already sustained the head injury, Joseph said, but he and another officer fired back at the suspect. The sergeant and the suspect circled the police vehicle, exchanging gunfire. The suspect briefly tried to take the police vehicle, but fled on foot before he was shot and killed seconds later by an approaching crowd of police.
The sergeant was critically injured, Joseph said, and was rushed to a hospital by other officers. “Thankfully,” Joseph said, “he will survive his injury.
“This was a battle for that sergeant’s life, unfolding in the middle of our city, in broad daylight, with members of the public in the crossfire. … Under fire, wounded and under extreme stress, his training and resolve kicked in.”
Steve Slack, president of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, said in a statement: “The incredible bravery exhibited by every officer, especially the SJPD sergeant who was shot and hospitalized after confronting the dangerous criminal, was on full display yesterday Our officers displayed courage as they ran toward gunfire and ultimately eliminated the threat. The injured sergeant is in good spirits and we are supporting him and his family in every way we can.”
San Jose Vice Mayor Pam Foley added at the news conference: “I can’t imagine the courage it takes to run toward a situation like that and not away from it, but thank God they ran toward it. … To our sergeant who is recovering, we thank you for your dedication and commitment to protecting our residents, and we pray to you have a speedy recovery.
City Manager Jennifer Maguire said that she had been able to visit with the sergeant on Wednesday night. “The sergeant was in very good spirits and extraordinarily positive, given the tragic situation. However, I’m not surprised by this, as his colleagues could not say enough about him and the impact he has made on this community,”
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“Most of all, I’m thankful that our sergeant survived an unimaginable injury,” Joseph added.
Staff writer Jason Green contributed to this report.