13 officers fired about 60 shots in I-80 gunbattle
A total of 13 police officers fired an estimated 60 shots during a gunfight with a homicide suspect who was killed last week on Interstate 80 near the Bay Bridge in Emeryville, officials said Friday.
Richmond police identified seven of their officers who were involved in the Sept. 27 shooting of suspect Demilo Trayvon Hodge, 45, of San Leandro.
The Richmond officers, with a collective 70 years of law enforcement experience, were only identified as Sgt. D. Decious, Sgt. C. Llamas, Detective A. Diaz, Detective R. Micchutto, Officer B. Mendler, Officer O. Guzman and Officer C. Tagorda. Richmond police did not provide their first names.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for Fairfield police — the other police agency whose officers were involved in the shooting — identified six of its officers and said they had fired a total of 30 rounds in the exchange with Hodge, who owned and operated a limousine service in Napa.
Richmond police did not say how many rounds its officers shot. Fairfield police said an additional Fairfield officer fired nonlethal rounds at Hodge. Both departments said Emeryville police are in charge of investigating the shooting.
Emeryville police Capt. Oliver Collins said investigators were still reviewing video and physical evidence from the scene and from officers’ weapons but that the seven Richmond officers had fired a “reasonably similar” number of rounds as the six Fairfield officers — or about 60 rounds in all.
In a statement Wednesday, Fairfield police identified Sgts. Brent Pucci and Kelly Rombach, and Officers John Divine, Erik Aagaard, Shane Raftery and James Sehr as being among those who fired guns at Hodge. The six officers have a combined 68 years experience in law enforcement, police said. Another officer, Michael Ambrose, fired “less lethal” rounds that were not specified.
The shootout came after Hodge sped off in a black Chevrolet Suburban while officers were attempting to arrest him in Fairfield. He led Fairfield and Richmond police on a chase to the Powell Street off-ramp of westbound Interstate 80, where his tires were blown out by spike strips put in his path by California Highway Patrol officers.
After a standoff, Hodge “suddenly and without warning emerged from the sport utility vehicle, aimed and discharged a handgun in their direction,” according to Lt. Felix Tan, spokesman for the Richmond Police Department.
Collins, in charge of the investigation, said he agreed with Tan.
“I have watched a lot of video and that would be my conclusion,” Collins said.
The officers returned fire, and Hodge was killed, police said. The standoff and resulting investigation of the shooting shut down the freeway for much of the day, tying up rush-hour traffic on a major Bay Area thoroughfare.
Hodge was wanted in connection with the slaying of a 68-year-old Fairfield man in 2015, police said.