On Wednesday December 15, 2021, San Pablo Police received a 9-1-1 call from a store clerk in the 1300 block of Market Avenue reporting a man in the parking lot carrying what appeared to be a firearm. At one point the clerk described the man taking the magazine out from the gun and putting it back in. The clerk expressed fear the man was going to enter the business. The clerk advised the man left in his vehicle recklessly from the parking lot. Multiple San Pablo Police officers responded to the scene and located the man’s vehicle traveling west-bound on Market Avenue outside the city limits of San Pablo and initiated a high-risk traffic stop. The man pulled over to the side of the road and officers attempted to communicate with him. During this exchange, officers noticed the man had blood on his hands. They gave him instructions to exit his vehicle and put his hands up.After a brief exchange of words, the man exited his car while holding a firearm in his right hand and faced the officers. It was later learned that the man was in possession of a BB pellet gun that closely resembled the appearance of a real gun. Officers repeated orders to the man to raise his hands while he mimicked the motion of racking the slide of a firearm as if making it ready to shoot. The man then pulled the gun to his chest, and turned towards officers. Four San Pablo police officers discharged their service weapons striking the man. Officers immediately began providing medical aid until the arrival of paramedics. Unfortunately, he was pronounced deceased while on the way to the hospital.It remains unclear why the man was in the store parking lot brandishing the pellet gun or why he exited his vehicle holding the weapon and mimicking the actions of a real firearm in the presence of officers. During the course of the investigation, Detectives learned the man made statements to a witness of his intention to force officers to kill him. It was also learned the man made statements of “goodbye” to family members earlier in the day. While at the scene at the onset of the incident, investigators believed the gun to be an airsoft gun which generally discharges plastic projectiles. In accordance with Assembly Bill 1506, the California Department of Justice was called to the scene to assume the investigation. After all evidence was collected and further analyzed by the Contra Costa County Crime Lab, it was determined the gun was in fact a BB pellet gun capable of discharging metal or lead BB’s. California DOJ identifies a BB pellet gun, even if unloaded or inoperable, as a deadly weapon. Based on this information, the incident no longer met the criteria under Assembly Bill 1506 and DOJ investigators stepped away from the investigation. The San Pablo Police Department is continuing to coordinate the investigation with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office as all three agencies have remain involved from the start of the investigation. The four officers involved in the incident were placed on paid administrative leave per Contra Costa County protocol. The purpose of this video is to provide transparency to the public. The use of body worn cameras protect both law enforcement and public citizens. Body Camera footage, while not perfect, can give a reliable non biased view of a situation. By making body cam available to the public, an environment is created to ensure all citizens are treated fair and justly. The use of body cams can provide documentation and justification in a use of force situation to exonerate or hold parties accountable for their actions. Body cams have also become an invaluable training tool for law enforcement. The footage should also help citizens understand the difficult and dangerous situations law enforcement face daily. Body cam videos, while graphic at times, can and should be used for education purposes to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the general public. If you are aware of an incident that may have been captured via body cam please send the details to bodycamwatchdog@gmail.com.