SJPD investigating shooting involving sheriff’s deputy

by Susie Fowkes , October 11, 2011

The San Jose Police Department is investigating a police shooting that involved an officer with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.

According to SJPD spokesman Sgt. Jason Dwyer, the unnamed deputy was on routine patrol in the area of Park Avenue and Sunol Street in San Jose when he spotted a suspicious vehicle at about 11 a.m. Saturday.

“As the deputy approached the vehicle to contact the occupant, the dispatcher advised him that the vehicle was stolen,” Dwyer explained.

Dwyer said the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Omar Muhdi of San Jose, “displayed behavior that the deputy considered threatening,” and the deputy fired multiple rounds, but did not strike Muhdi.

Omar Muhdi

Muhdi then fled on foot to a nearby industrial yard on Montgomery Street where a search team was able to locate him hiding in some bushes, according to Dwyer.

Muhdi was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on charges of auto theft, possession of stolen property, and a parole violation.

The deputy has been placed on routine paid administrative leave pending an investigation of the shooting. The incident is being investigated by SJPD, Dwyer said, because it occurred in the department’s jurisdiction.

This was the second officer-involved shooting involving sheriff’s deputies in three days. On Thursday morning, deputies shot and killed Shareef Allman, a man believed to have gone on a violent and deadly shooting spree on Wednesday. That incident resulted in a 24-hour manhunt involving several police agencies, as well as the U.S. Marshal Service and the FBI.

Anyone with information on Saturday’s incident is urged to call Detective Sgt. Dave Gutierrez or Det. Brian Spears of the SJPD’s Homicide Unit at (408) 277-5383. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867) and may be eligible for a reward.

San Jose Mercury News, SJPD investigating double homicide as second shooting victim dies

KTVU San Francisco, SJPD investigates 2 shootings, one officer-involved

SF Gate, Santa Clara deputy fires at auto-theft suspect

SJPD investigating shooting involving sheriff’s deputy was last modified: January 10th, 2019 by admin

Categories: California, Santa Clara

About Author

Susie Fowkes

Susie Dryden Fowkes was born and raised in the Central Coast city of Santa Cruz and studied journalism at San Francisco State University. She has lived in the Silicon Valley for more than a decade, where she has covered Bay Area news for both radio and print media. She currently resides in San Jose with her traffic reporter husband and beagle-lab mix Kona.