San Jose police officer shot to death

The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close San Jose police officer shot to death 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A veteran San Jose police officer was shot and killed Tuesday night by a suicidal man apparently wielding a high-powered rifle, authorities said.

The shooting of Officer Michael Johnson — the first killing of a San Jose officer in 14 years — drew a massive police response as officers tried to contain the suspect, Scott Dunham, 57, who was believed to be still inside his apartment hours after he allegedly killed the officer. Police said other officers returned fire, possibly striking Dunham.

As police evacuated nearby homes and sought to confirm the suspect’s condition, messages of sympathy for the fallen officer quickly spread on social media. Many police agencies posted images on Twitter of badges wrapped in black bands and a thin blue line against a black backdrop, symbols of law-enforcement in mourning.

“As a chief, this is not something that we would ever want to do,” a somber Police Chief Larry Esquivel said at a late-night news conference. “It’s a sad day today for law enforcement and for the Police Department and our community.”

The chief said, “I can assure you and assure the community that this investigation will continue until this person is apprehended.” He lambasted the suspect for having “the nerve, the audacity” to shoot at police.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said, “This has been San Jose’s darkest hour. Our hearts go out to the family, the friends and colleagues of the fallen officer. This strikes at the heart of all of us here in San Jose and throughout the region.” The mayor said he had visited the family of the slain officer, who was engaged to be married.

The incident happened about 7:08 p.m. about 20 minutes after officers were called to investigate reports that Dunham was intoxicated and had a gun to his head at an apartment on the 2600 block of Senter Road, near Umbarger Road, and was threatening to commit suicide.

Police were asked to do a welfare check on Dunham, who reportedly threatened his wife and said he would kill her if “she didn’t leave,” the police dispatcher told officers responding to the call. The woman left the apartment and called one of her children, who called police.

Officers had taken up positions around the apartment when the shooting erupted.

The man shot Johnson while apparently standing on a balcony, police said.

“Officer down! Officer down!” an officer said on the police radio.

“We have multiple shots being fired,” another officer reported.

Johnson died at the scene. He served as a field training officer but wasn’t with a rookie at the time, police said.

The shooting brought scores of officers from numerous agencies to the scene. A meeting of the San Jose City Council was abruptly adjourned shortly after the shooting.

Dunham’s wife told police that besides the rifle, he was known to be armed with at least two handguns and ammunition. Calls to phone numbers listed for the couple were not answered.

Officers with rifles took up positions in the area. SWAT officers and armored vehicles were also being called in.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter was assisting officers.

The last fatal shooting of an officer in the Bay Area was in January 2014, when BART police Sgt. Tom “Tommy” Smith was shot and killed by another BART detective who had mistaken him for an armed suspect during a search of a Dublin apartment.

The last San Jose officer to be killed in the line of duty was Jeffrey Fontana, who was shot and killed in 2001 by a man who was later sentenced to life in prison. Johnson had been in the same academy class as Fontana.

The slaying of the officer Tuesday comes as the department is grappling with an exodus of officers amid budget cuts and a political battle over pension reform.

Henry K. Lee, Erin Allday and Emily Green are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com, eallday@sfchronicle.com and egreen@sfchronicle.om

Twitter: @henryklee @erinallday @emilytgreen