Peninsula City Hires Firm To Investigate Fatal Police Shooting

DALY CITY, CA — Daly City has hired an independent firm to investigate the fatal police shooting, of Roger Allen, the city announced Wednesday.

The firm, Jordan Consulting and Investigations, is run by former Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan. The April 7 shooting of Allen, a San Francisco resident, took place during a struggle over what turned out to be a replica firearm.

There was no video of the incident, leading to backlash that resulted in Daly City approving body cameras for police in May.

According to an account of the incident by San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe a week after the shooting, an officer had stopped to speak with the driver of a truck that had a flat tire, with three people inside at the 700 block of Niantic Avenue.

A second and a third officer arrived and stood on the passenger side of the truck as the first officer talked to the driver, who was cooperative, Wagstaffe said.

The front passenger door was open and the officers "saw what appeared to be a Glock firearm (handgun) on the lap of passenger Roger Allen," according to the account. "The officers yelled out there was a gun and Mr. Allen picked the gun up and held it in his hand."

One of the officers leaned in and grabbed Allen's hand in an effort to prevent the gun from being fired and a struggle ensued, with the weapon at one point directed at the officer and driver standing on the other side of the truck, then at the officer struggling with Allen, Wagstaffe said.

When the second officer on the passenger side "saw the gun pointed at the face of the officer struggling with Mr. Allen, he reported he feared that his fellow officer was going to be shot in the face," Wagstaffe said. "He fired his service handgun at Mr. Allen twice, with one shot striking Mr. Allen in the chest and the other shot missing and lodging inside the vehicle.

Dozens marched in Daly City following the shooting to demand transparency over the shooting.

The investigation is being led by the district attorney’s office to determine whether the officers acted within the law.

The firm’s review will include the police department’s policies, procedures and tactics, including use of force, according to a news release.

In May, California Attorney General Rob Bonta declined to conduct a parallel investigation into the shooting, citing the district attorney’s investigation and the firm’s review.

“The Mayor and City Council took this additional step to ensure the most impartial and transparent administrative investigation possible,” the city said in a news release.

Bay City News contributed to this report.