Fatal shooting by Vallejo police is 2nd in 3 days VALLEJO

Vallejo police shot and killed a man early Monday after he fled from officers and pulled what turned out to be a metal wallet from his waistband in the city's second fatal officer-involved shooting in three days, authorities said.

The man in the most recent case, Anton Barrett Sr., 41, was shot dead after a confrontation with an officer between two apartment buildings, police said.

The incident began shortly after midnight when two officers assigned to look for drunken drivers saw a motorist in a white Lexus driving without his lights on near Santa Clara and Indiana streets, said Vallejo police Lt. Ken Weaver.

The car was traveling very fast and wasn't stopping at intersections, and the officers tried to stop it, Weaver said.

The driver, later identified as Barrett, failed to stop and led officers on a chase behind an apartment complex on the 200 block of Wilson Avenue, police said. Barrett and two passengers - one of whom is his son - fled from the car on foot, and officers gave chase.

Barrett confronted an officer between two apartment buildings, police said. The officer ordered Barrett at gunpoint to stop and put his hands up, but the suspect continued running toward the officer, Weaver said.

"The suspect had his hands in his waistband area of his hooded sweat jacket," Weaver said. "The suspect reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark-colored metal object." Police later determined that it was a metal wallet.

In fear for his safety, the officer, a seven-year department veteran, fired several times, hitting Barrett, Weaver said. The suspect fell but tried to get up and was stunned with a Taser shock weapon by another officer, Weaver said.

Barrett died at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek shortly after 5:30 a.m.

Barrett had a criminal record dating to 1985 that includes five felony convictions, police said.

His girlfriend, Stacy Madkins, said Barrett had worked for 12 years as a supervisor at Domaine Carneros Winery in Napa.

"I'm very upset, because they didn't have to shoot him that many times," Madkins said. "I feel that the police are trigger-happy. What's going on? Why are they shooting people for nothing?"

Officers found one of the passengers, Barrett's son, Anton Barrett, 18, hiding in some bushes with the help of a police dog and booked him on suspicion of resisting arrest, Weaver said. Both Barrett and the dog's handler suffered minor injuries from the dog.

The other passenger escaped.

On Friday, police shot and killed a 53-year-old man after he threatened them with what turned out to be a BB gun near Sonoma Boulevard and Carolina Street, authorities said. That shooting happened after officers responded to reports that the man had pulled a gun on a cabdriver and his passenger, as well as a woman walking on the street, police said.