Fatal Napa Officer-Involved Shooting: Police Reopen Soscol Avenue

NAPA, CA — Soscol Avenue was shut down in both directions at the scene of police activity — a fatal officer-involved shooting — Wednesday morning in Napa. The closure was between Lincoln and Central avenues was lifted at about 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.

In a news release, the Napa Police Department said the situation surrounding the fatal officer-involved shooting at Soscol and Maplewood avenues began at about 1:50 a.m. when officers were dispatched to a report of an assault at the Kentwood apartment complex.

Dispatchers alerted officers that according to information from the caller, the assault suspect was armed with a handgun, police said.

The suspect — later identified by the Napa County sheriff-coroner's office as David Alejandro Molina, 27, of Napa — left the apartments and not long after, officers found him riding a skateboard on Soscol Avenue, police said.

"Officers asked the man to put his hands up and get on the ground, but instead, the man ran away into the Stonehouse Apartment complex," police said.

An officer gave chase and repeatedly ordered Molina to cooperate but he continued to run away, police said.

The chase lasted several minutes before a "fight took place at the end of the chase and the officer used his department-issued rifle," police said.

Molina died at the scene at 2:05 a.m., sheriff's spokesman Henry Wofford said.

The officer who shot Molina suffered minor injuries and has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated by the Napa County Major Crimes Task Force, police said.

"Whenever there is an officer-involved shooting, it is always a difficult situation for all parties involved," police said. "Our thoughts are with the man’s family, our officers and the community during this time."

The shooting and subsequent road closure were initially announced by Napa Police Department at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday in a Nixle alert. While the scene remained under investigation Wednesday morning, motorists were advised to use Silverado Trail or Jefferson Avenue.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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