City of Antioch Issues Response to ABC7 Story on 2012 Officer Involved Shooting

The City of Antioch responded to a recent ABC7 news report by Alan Wang regarding an April 2012 shooting where Antioch Police shot and killed 35-year-old Denny Gonzales.

ABC7 says that there’s no argument that Denny Gonzales was heavily intoxicated when he called a friend and threatened to kill police. What’s being disputed now that police helicopter video has emerged is how it all happened.

ABC7 says they have obtained police video and internal reports that show Gonzales never fired a shot.

According to the ABC7 Story:

Andrea Gonzalez says she was told her husband, an Antioch barber, died at the hands of police because he fired at them first.

“We were getting ready to start our new life with a new baby, new home,” said Danny Gonzales widow Andrea Gonzales. “It still wasn’t sitting inside of me that this was true, and I just needed answers.”

She hired an attorney who obtained police helicopter video of Danny Gonzales walking out of his home holding a handgun. He was already surrounded by Antioch SWAT officers. It’s not clear what startled him, but police believed he fired first. They returned fire with nearly 60 rounds that killed Danny Gonzales. He was shot in the back twice.

“One of the officers was overly excited and fired a shot as soon as he came out and that led other officers to believe shots were fired and it was just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,” said Rob Cartwright, the plaintiff’s attorney.

Attorneys for Gonzales’ widow say a video proves he never fired a shot. A forensic analysis found that his gun was still on safety.

The City of Antioch issued a response today disputing the ABC7 story and video which goes against the DA’s investigation and Coroners Inquest. Antioch highlights that Gonzales had a 0.24 blood alcohol level and carried a loaded firearm towards police when he was making threats to harm officers.

Here is a look at the response:

December 22, 2014 – Gonzales v. City of Antioch (U.S. District Court, Case No. C14-04728 KAW)

ANTIOCH, Calif. – Attorneys for the plaintiff in a civil lawsuit against the City of Antioch have attempted to persuade news reporters that a 2012 police shooting of an armed man was unjustified. This interpretation goes against the findings of the District Attorney’s investigation and the civilian jury at the Coroner’s Inquest.

Each of these inquiries arrived at the same conclusions. On June 28, 2012, Antioch resident Denny Gonzalez was agitated and inebriated (.24 blood alcohol level), and announced his intention to murder a police officer. When officers located Gonzalez, he advanced toward them, armed with a loaded handgun.

How officers handle armed subjects intent on killing them is a very serious one, and one that will be examined when this lawsuit comes to trial. We are confident that the litigation process will reach the same conclusion as the civilian jury reached in 2013 – police officers shot an armed subject who appeared determined to trigger a violent confrontation.