At around 9:15 pm Saturday, the Oakley Police Department responded to a report of a shooting on Stonegate Circle in the City of Oakley.
On Monday, Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard provided an overview of the incident and highlighted although a male was detained and taken to the police station, he has since been released.
Here is the Monday update:
Monday Update via Chief Paul Beard
On Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 9:19PM Oakley police officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 900 block of Stonegate Circle. Additionally, subsequent callers advised dispatch that there was a large fight and a male gunshot victim was lying on the ground with another male, thought to have been involved, pulling a motorcycle into the garage.
Officers arrived on scene and did not observe anyone outside, to include not seeing any victims or immediate signs of a shooting. Due to certain calls that were made officers began focusing on one particular home and it was believed there was a possible victim inside that home. Officers attempted to make contact with the residents and were met with no response. Due to exigent circumstances officers gained access to the residence through the back door. Officers found a male who appeared to have been in a fight with minor injuries, stating subjects attacked him in his garage. Officers determined there were no gunshot victims inside.
Officers received additional information the occupants of another home on Stonegate Circle were possibly responsible and set a perimeter, with assistance from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, and began giving public address announcements.
The occupants began exiting the residence and it was learned a large family house party was underway at the location. Officers performed a protective sweep and determined there were no gunshot victims inside.
Due to all of the law enforcement attention being placed on this other family the original victim had been left in the care of medical personnel. At some point the male fled the location over his back fence and fled in an unknown direction on the Big Break Trail. Officers began developing information that people from the house party attacked and battered the male at his residence due to what they deemed to be his offensive motorcycle riding habits in the neighborhood.
It was further reported the male was heard to have fired a handgun before running back into his residence. Officers located three shell casings in the street between the males residence and his neighbor’s residence. There were no eyewitnesses to the shooting and all involved parties became uncooperative.
Our officers found the male as he was seen walking back up to his residence. The male was detained and placed under arrest based on the information officers obtained, the discovery of physical evidence, and initial statements of the other involved parties.
Oakley Detectives responded in from home and interviewed the male. The male was not completely forthright, but he did allow for a search of his home and vehicles. The male also said he heard gunshots as he was getting battered. A gun shot residue test was performed on the male. This type of a test is costly and it takes awhile to get the results back from a third party contractor. Several evidentiary items were also taken for further examination.
A police service canine was also used in the neighborhood and on the Big Break Trail in an effort to locate a firearm and none was found.
Collectively our officers and detectives determined lacking any willing eyewitness or cooperative victim, conflicting statements, and the fact the location of the fired shell casings supported the males statement, it would be best to release the suspect until forensic evidence returns.
The suspect was released from the Oakley Police Department as per Penal Code 849(b)(1) (a peace officer may release from custody, instead of taking the person before a magistrate, a person arrested without a warrant in the following circumstances: (1) The officer is satisfied that there are insufficient grounds for making a criminal complaint against the person arrested). This incident remains under active investigation.
“This investigation absorbed a lot of Oakley Police resources when we had other matters going on concurrent to this call. I truly appreciate the assistance of the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff during this investigation, this was a great example of how mutual aid serves as a formidable force multiplier. In the end we did release the person we arrested in this case. This case will now focus on forensic sciences and we will be able to make final determinations after we get those results back. I like it, and I support my officers, when they arrest dangerous people for the greater good of us all. In this case however, there became enough of a question mark on what happened for us to reconsider the most appropriate actions to take. I believe the professional element of law enforcement always needs to make these considerations and make the best possible decisions. If the forensic results drive us in a direction that gains a result and closure I will be sure to report back on that.
Thank you Oakley and remain safe!”
~Chief Paul Beard
