REDDING – A man who showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound got police searching for a black man assailant on Saturday night, February 1, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
At 8:18 in the evening, officials at the Shasta Regional Medical Center alerted police to a gunshot victim. According to a police press release, officers arrived at the hospital to interview the victim.
34-year-old Brent Thomas Posada told police that his wound was a result of an attack on him while he stood on the street. He said that while he was on the 100 block of Hilltop Drive, a black man approached and put a gun to his head. He told them he had pushed the assailant’s arm away, and in doing so, the gun went off, a bullet striking him in the abdomen. He said his attacker ran from the scene without a word, and did not take anything from him. Posada then reported to the hospital for treatment.
Posada claimed to have been attacked while standing on the street at this apartment complex.
He described his assailant in great detail as a black man, mid to late 20’s, six feet tall and 185 pounds. He said he was wearing a black hoodie, jeans and black high top shoes with silver stripes.
Redding police went on alert for the gunman, canvassing the Hilltop area in search of the missing suspect, but turned up nothing. With no immediate results, the case was handed over to the Redding PD Investigations Division.
The investigators examined the evidence they had, including Posada’s clothing and photos of his injuries taken the night of the attack. Some of what the found conflicted with the account Posada had given. They contacted him yesterday to interview him further about the incident. Posada soon changed his story, admitting that there was no assailant on Hilltop, and that he had in fact shot himself at home, using a high powered air rifle.
He was not arrested, but the case was handed over to the District Attorney’s office to review and file charges for filing a false police report. No motive for his shooting himself and claiming to be a victim was given.
