Rohnert Park Officers Involved In Shooting Identified

ROHNERT PARK, CA — Information released Wednesday by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office about a Rohnert Park officer-involved shooting that occurred Sunday night outside Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety headquarters indicates the man shot by officers was depressed and may have been attempting to commit suicide by cop.

Sheriff's officials said in a news release that a 21-year-old Rohnert Park man — Patch has chosen not to disclose his name — arrived at the police station on City Center Drive about 10:40 p.m. and that is when police personnel inside heard what they believed were gunshots just outside the building.

Rohnert Park DPS Sgt. Kelly Koffler went outside to investigate and encountered the man, who allegedly was holding a handgun — later determined to be a loaded .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol — in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.

The sergeant drew his handgun and called for additional backup, sheriff's officials said.

Koffler tried talking with the man and ordered him multiple times to drop his handgun but the man allegedly "refused to do so every time and repeatedly told Koffler to shoot him."

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Soon, many officers joined Koffler outside the building, taking up various positions. One officer had a less than lethal option which was made available during the incident, sheriff's officials said.

As the incident continued, roads surrounding the police station were closed to ensure the public’s safety.

A crisis negotiator was summoned and a standoff occurred for about an hour. Koffler used "verbal de-escalation efforts" as he continued talking with the armed man and attempting to get him to surrender his handgun, sheriff's officials said.

But the man became "increasingly upset that the officers refused to shoot him and at one point asked what he had to do to get them to shoot him," sheriff's officials said.

Negotiation efforts were unsuccessful as the man allegedly began walking toward Koffler with his gun still in hand, reportedly telling the sergeant repeatedly to shoot him.

"Sergeant Koffler attempted to come to a peaceful resolution but the man kept walking toward him, closing a distance of about 20 yards," sheriff's officials said.

It was when the man reportedly was within 15 yards of where Koffler stood that the sergeant became "fearful that his life was in jeopardy," sheriff's officials said. He, along with four other Rohnert Park officers, fired their guns almost simultaneously, striking the man three times.

Sheriff's officials say the man initially fell to the ground but was able to quickly get back up on his knees.

Koffler, who determined the man was now unarmed, ran to the man, got him back to the ground and provided first aid.

An ambulance crew had been staged nearby and therefore was able to transport the injured man quickly to a local hospital.

Authorities say the man is expected to survive his injuries.

Sheriff's officials say that during the hour-long standoff, Rohnert Park dispatchers were talking with the 21-year-old's mother, who told them her son suffers from depression. Follow-up interviews with friends and relatives also confirmed this, but it is "unclear at this time what may have prompted him to attempt suicide in this manner," sheriff's officials said in the news release.

Sheriff's investigators have determined that 11 shots were fired collectively by five officers: Sgt. Koffler, Sgt. Brendon Jacy Tatum, Officer Daniel Hargreaves, Officer Kieran Keaney and Officer Kyle Pinney. The two sergeants and three officers have been placed on administrative leave as per Sonoma County policy.

Investigators found three spent .22-caliber casings on the ground in front of the Rohnert Park DPS building that are believed to be from the three initial rounds allegedly fired by the 21-year-old and heard by personnel inside the building.

Multiple body cameras were activated by the Rohnert Park officers which captured the incident on video, sheriff's officials noted.

Image via Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety