Homicide suspect shot dead by police on freeway was Wine Country chauffeur

A driver killed by police officers after a freeway chase and standoff on Interstate 80 in Emeryville was identified Thursday as a 45-year-old man who chauffeured wine tourists around the Napa Valley and was wanted in connection with a killing nearly two years ago in Fairfield.

Demilo Trayvon Hodge, a San Leandro resident who owned Executive Excursion Limousine Service in Napa, died Wednesday morning after he was shot by Richmond and Fairfield police officers, an incident that shut down the freeway during the heart of the commute.

Videos of the standoff that emerged Thursday showed that Hodge disobeyed police commands to surrender before rushing out of the black sport utility vehicle he used for winery tours while pointing what appeared to be a handgun at the officers. Hodge fired at the officers, Emeryville police officials said, and they responded with a barrage of more than 30 shots.

Hodge was wanted on suspicion of murder in connection with the shooting of 68-year-old William Freeman in Fairfield on Dec. 10, 2015, said Lt. Robert Lenke, a Fairfield police spokesman. Detectives had been trying to solve the case since Freeman was found dead in his Sunset Court home during a welfare check, and they only recently obtained an arrest warrant for Hodge.

Authorities investigate the scene following a police shooting which occurred on the Westbound lanes of Interstate 80 in Emeryville, Calif. on Wednesday September 27, 2017. The individual shot by the authorities was a fleeing murder suspect who exited his black SUV (center) holding a weapon. less Authorities investigate the scene following a police shooting which occurred on the Westbound lanes of Interstate 80 in Emeryville, Calif. on Wednesday September 27, 2017. The individual shot by the ... more Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Homicide suspect shot dead by police on freeway was Wine Country chauffeur 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

On Sept. 8, Fairfield police released sketches of two men believed to be linked to Freeman’s death, but they did not discuss a possible motive for the slaying. Efforts to reach Freeman’s family were unsuccessful.

According to state records, Hodge was in and out of prison between 1999 and 2004 after being convicted for making criminal threats in Santa Clara and for stalking in San Mateo County, and then repeatedly violating his parole.

News of his death in a gunfight with police shocked many of his friends and business associates.

James Smith, 68, a neighbor of Hodge’s father in East Oakland, said Hodge was devoted to his father, had at least one daughter he spent time with and was proud of overcoming his past troubles to become a businessman. He was determined, Smith said, not to go back to prison.

“He was getting his life together,” Smith said. “When he was younger, he was mixed up with the wrong crowds.”

Hodge had worked as a beverage delivery driver and ran a reptile business before deciding to branch out on his own. He got into winery tours through Brian Sayles, who operates a similar service. Reached by phone Thursday, Sayles said he was stunned to learn his friend, a “good guy,” had been killed.

“I just want to breathe,” Sayles said. “The guy that I met was not the guy that I saw on TV.”

On social media, Hodge posted numerous photos of tours he led to Napa Valley wineries, often featuring smiling bachelors and bachelorettes. In a May 2016 interview with the Napa Valley Register, Hodge said helping clients made him “feel good,” adding, “It’s like therapy to me. It makes me appreciate my life.”

In the article, Hodge said he had plans to become a mentor for youth. He said Brent and Bridget Cudd, owners of the Best Western Plus Inn at the Vines, “really took care of me when I first came to Napa and had some hard times. They carried me when I was almost on my last leg.”

In a phone interview Thursday, Bridget Cudd said she had met Hodge through a mutual friend. “I’m still in shock about all that’s happened,” she said. “He seemed like a very good, kindhearted man.”

The standoff and shooting on the freeway happened after Hodge was spotted in Richmond and tried to flee police, who disabled his SUV with a spike strip, officials said. The incident is under investigation by Emeryville police and the Alameda County district attorney’s office.

One video showed Hodge’s black Chevy Suburban at a standstill on westbound I-80 near the Powell Street exit as a dozen or more law enforcement vehicles surrounded it. Some officers crouched behind their cars with weapons drawn. The encounter lasted more than 20 minutes, and police tried to persuade Hodge to surrender, even speaking with him on his cell phone.

The SUV began to slowly creep along the road despite warnings from officials. The car stopped, and a police official asked Hodge to place both hands out of the window, while opening the door with the handle on the outside. He raised both hands, which at that time appeared empty, then placed them back in the vehicle.

At a couple of points, popping noises can be heard on the video, but Emeryville police could not say Thursday whether the sounds represented gunfire, less-lethal beanbag rounds fired by officers, or something else. Hodge did not appear to be wounded before emerging from the SUV and allegedly firing upon the officers.

Evan Sernoffsky, Lizzie Johnson and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: esernoffksy@sfchronicle.com, ljohnson@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky @LizzieJohnsonnn @JennaJourno