Gilroy Police Release Video Of Fatal Post Office Shootout

Gilroy CA

07 October, 2021

3:08 PM

Description

GILROY, CA — The Gilroy Police Department released body camera footage and 911 calls Thursday from a Sept. 8 shootout in front of the post office that killed a man who had been wanted on an attempted murder charge. Dave Lopez, a 40-year Gilroy resident who had an arrest warrant on suspicion of an Aug. 31 shooting, called police around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, identifying himself as a subject the police were looking for and that he would be waiting at the post office. "They told me to contact you guys, so you guys are trying to look for me or whatever," Lopez told the dispatcher. "I'm right here." Lopez also said he was unarmed and intoxicated, and remained on the line with the dispatcher who told him officers wanted to question him "about some different things" in-person. Warning: The video below depicts a shooting and may be difficult to watch. In the 911 calls released, Lopez repeatedly assured the dispatcher that he was not armed, but as officers arrived at the post office, the dispatcher told him to lay down in a prone position and an officer was heard over a loudspeaker ordering Lopez to "get down on the ground." Instead, Lopez, wearing a white t-shirt and dark shorts, immediately took out a gun and began firing at the arriving officer's patrol car, striking it twice and before pulling out a second gun. The officer got out of the car and returned fire. One of the two shots struck Lopez. The videos released captured shots fired from the perspectives of the dashboard of the officer's patrol car and body camera footage. The shootout lasted less than a minute and seven rounds were fired. No officers or bystanders were injured in the incident, according to police. Related: Man Killed In Gilroy Police Shootout Had Attempted Murder Charge Lopez was suspected of an Aug. 31 shooting on the 8500 block of Wren Avenue that seriously wounded the victim. Gilroy police obtained an arrest warrant for Lopez on Sept. 1. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and the California Highway Patrol also responded to the scene. The Gilroy Police Department's Investigations Bureau and Internal Affairs and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office are each independently and concurrently investigating the incident, and the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner is investigating the cause of death.