ANTIOCH — Police released the names of four officers who ended a seven-hour standoff by entering a home and fatally shooting a man last month.
In a statement last month, police said dispatchers received calls claiming a Dove Court resident was shooting at cars and homes while walking. Multiple officers responded to the scene and heard gunshots and found a man dressed in camouflage patterned clothes carrying a rifle.
Moments later, the man entered a home in the 3800 block of Dove Court that officers soon learned was his own. After advising nearby residents to shelter in place, officers issued a mutual-aid call. Pittsburg and Brentwood police officers and Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene, and began working with Antioch police SWAT and hostage negotiation team members, police said.
After a multi-hour standoff with up to 30 shots fired at officers patrolling a perimeter, as well as multiple rebuffed negotiator calls attempting to open communication, the home caught fire shortly after 7:05 p.m. As flames spread to the home’s garage, the man fled to the home’s backyard and reached a side yard, where SWAT team members shot him.
The man, who police found was also wearing body armor, was identified by police as Guadalupe Zavala, 57, of Antioch, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police identified the officers Monday who shot Zavala as Antioch police Sgt. Theodore Chang, a 20-year veteran; Det. Ryan McDonald, with 13.5 years of service; and officers Scott Duggar and Eric Rombough, with 7 and 9.5 years of service, respectively.
The shooting remains under investigation by police, a team of deputy district attorneys and inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and county sheriff’s office investigators. No body-camera footage from the incident has been released publicly.
Multiple law enforcement sources told the Bay Area News Group no firearm was found at the scene. The state Attorney General’s office announced Dec. 13 that it would conduct an independent review of the incident, following a state law that governs the killing of unarmed people by police.
Staff writer Nate Gartrell contributed to this report. Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
Source: www.mercurynews.com