Man ID'd in Deadly Redwood City Shooting That Stemmed from Parking Lot Chase

REDWOOD CITY, CA — A man who died after shooting himself while police were searching for him this week in Redwood City has been identified. Forty-three-year-old Robert Lee Eichen was named by the San Mateo County coroner's office on Wednesday.

Eichen, a Redwood City resident, shot himself in the head after a confrontation with police in which officers fired one shot at him, according to police. It was not immediately clear whether the officer's round struck Eichen.

The incident was first reported around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday when a 44-year-old woman called police to her place of business in the 400 block of Penobscot Drive, saying that her ex-husband was chasing her around the
parking lot.

"The Redwood City Police Department received a frantic 911 call from a female who indicated that her ex-husband was chasing her in a parking lot of her employment," Redwood City Police Deputy Chief Gary Kirby said at a press conference.

She had a restraining order against Eichen, and when she refused to speak with him, Eichen went back to his truck to get a handgun, according to police.

"He abruptly stopped in the middle of the parking lot with his pickup truck, made contact with her, [but] she didn't want to have any discussion with her," Kirby said. "He went back to his vehicle, obtained a firearm which we believe to be a handgun, and approached her with the handgun and started chasing her through the parking lot."

He continued chasing her, firing at least one shot, but fled on foot when officers arrived.

Officers pursued him, and at one point Eichen brandished his weapon at them, prompting an officer to fire a single shot in his direction, police said.

Police said they attempted to get him to put the gun down, but instead Eichen shot himself.

Eichen reportedly had multiple contacts with police in the last month involving domestic violence -- including one incident where he allegedly broke into a home he'd once shared with the victim -- prompting an
emergency restraining order that he later violated.

Deputy Police Chief Gary Kirby on Tuesday described him as an individual "who was not in the right mindset."

The officer who fired at Eichen has been placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is under investigation.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone