Gilroy Police Release Video Of Officer Involved Shooting

GILROY, CA — Gilroy police have released a video captured by a police dashboard camera that appears to corroborate official accounts that a suspect fired shots at officers before they returned fire and killed him.

The video was taken Sept. 8 in Gilroy at the post office, where the suspect -- David Lopez, 40, of Gilroy -- had told police he would be in a telephone call he made about 2:30 a.m.

Lopez had been identified as a suspect in an Aug. 31 shooting in Gilroy that resulted in substantial injuries to the victim, who survived. Police obtained an arrest warrant for Lopez on Sept. 1.

In a Sept. 10 news release about the officer-involved shooting, Gilroy police said Lopez told them during the telephone call that he wanted to turn himself in to them and acknowledged he was drunk and high on drugs.

As officers arrived on scene in a vehicle, police said Lopez refused commands to lie down in a prone position and instead fired shots at the vehicle, actions that are visible in the video.
Police said the officer was able to get out of her car and she returned fire. Another officer arrived in a vehicle and that officer also fired at Lopez.

The shootout lasted less than one minute, during which time a combined seven rounds were fired, police said. Lopez suffered at least one gunshot wound and was later pronounced dead, while the officers were unharmed.

The video police released appears to corroborate the details police previously provided.
Beyond the video itself, Gilroy police provided no new information and included only the Sept. 10 news release with this link to the video on YouTube: Gilroy Police Officer Involved Shooting on 9-8-2021.

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