SAN JOSE — The man who shot and seriously injured a San Jose police officer on Wednesday is facing a potential life sentence in prison, according to prosecutors.
Gabriel Mario Carreras, 44, was arraigned Friday afternoon at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, where he faces a felony charge for attempted murder of a police officer and various firearm assault charges, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors also detailed the major injuries to the officer for the first time since the incident, as she remained in critical but stable condition as of Friday afternoon.
Carreras was arrested Tuesday following a standoff with police lasting roughly four hours at a residence west of downtown San Jose.
Police received a family disturbance call at a condominium complex near Auzerais Avenue and Race Street around 7:51 a.m., according to a police statement of facts filed Friday. A woman reported that she was pregnant and that her husband was drunk, tried to hit her and broke down a bathroom door, telling her he “did not want the baby.”
Police arrived at the two-story townhome about 8:25 a.m., according to the statement; both officers were in uniform and activated their body cameras. As they attempted to get through a locked gate, one of the officers noticed that a second-floor door was open and called for people inside to come out.
The suspect came out, raised his arm at one of the officers, and fired a .38-caliber pistol once, striking her, according to the police statement. Authorities said the bullet struck the officer below her protective vest, causing damage to her intestine, colon, liver and gall bladder, and fracturing her spine.
The wounded officer crawled toward her partner, who pulled her to safety and began treating her wounds with another officer. The injured officer was taken to a hospital and continued to be treated in critical but stable condition on Friday.
Prosecutors confirmed that police did not fire back at Carreras. More police arrived on the scene and set up a perimeter after the shooting, as the suspect remained inside the home. Prosecutors said two more gunshots were heard, around 9:36 a.m. and a minute later.
Roughly an hour later, the woman who had called police came out of the home, with the pistol in a back pocket. She later told police that she had heard, but not seen, the additional reported gunshots, and eventually found that Carreras had passed out, dropping the gun at his side.
She took the weapon, left the home and walked into police custody. She later said that she had come home around 6:15 a.m. to find Carreras packing his belongings, saying he did not want to be in the relationship and that she should terminate the pregnancy.
The woman ran to the bathroom and shut the door. Carreras “violently pushed” the door open, breaking it off its hinges, and tried to punch the woman in the stomach, according to police. She said he only missed because she managed to move back. He continued to confront her as she called 911 and followed her into a bedroom, where he accused her of texting someone, grabbed her cellphone and threw it on the floor, police said.
When officers arrived at the home, the woman watched Carreras take a handgun from a packed bag of clothing, police said. She shut herself inside the bedroom and heard a single gunshot. He then entered the bedroom and told her “everything was her fault and that because of her, he shot and may have killed a cop,” according to police.
Carreras legally was not allowed to possess the weapon as he’s a convicted felon, San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata said on Wednesday. Court records show Carreras was convicted in 2005 of assault with a deadly weapon and participating in a criminal street gang. The gun used in Wednesday’s shooting was unregistered, per prosecutors.
“There are too many guns in too many dangerous people’s hands,” said District Attorney Jeff Rosen, who has been an outspoken advocate for better safety against gun violence throughout the country. “Too many people are getting shot, including police officers. Today, an officer lies badly wounded in the hospital for trying to save a pregnant woman. As we give our sincerest thanks to her and her heroic partner, we are determined to make sure this suspect will never see a gun or freedom again.”
Staff Writer Jason Green contributed to this report.
Source: www.mercurynews.com