Woman shot to death — suspect in standoff

A woman was shot and killed Thursday afternoon on a typically quiet street in Walnut Creek, authorities said, prompting a citywide search for the gunman that continued into the evening.

Police were called to the 1900 block of First Avenue, across the street from the Lindsay Wildlife Experience museum, at 1:30 p.m. on reports that shots had been fired. Upon arrival two minutes later, officers found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and performed lifesaving measures, but the woman died at the scene, police said.

The woman’s identity and the killer’s motivation were not immediately known, but officers said the victim probably knew her attacker. Police ordered the neighborhood on lockdown while officers went block by block looking for the gunman after finding a possible suspect vehicle near the scene, but said the public was not in danger.

On Thursday night, Lt. Tom Cashion said that police were negotiating with a suspect who had been found in a car at Howe Road and Old Orchard Road in Martinez.

He earlier had said: “This is a very safe area. We have a shooting once every couple years.”

Several witnesses reported a man leaving the crime scene, and neighbors said they were told by officers to be on the lookout for a man in his mid-30s who is 6 feet tall and weighs between 160 and 200 pounds. Police did not publicly release a description.

The popular Lindsay Wildlife Experience was included in the lockdown area, temporarily preventing visitors and staff from leaving the building and forcing the museum to close early.

Neighbors were not accustomed to all the police activity in Walnut Creek, which included a canine search, helicopter surveillance and help from several neighboring law enforcement agencies.

“It’s a strange thing to come home to,” said Julie Bidwell, 57, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years. “It’s troubling.”

Neighbor Ryan Gill, 26, shared similar feelings.

“Before today,” he said, “the craziest thing that’s happened in the time that I’ve lived here is that a deer got hit in front of my house.”