SAN JOSE — Two San Jose police officers were shot and injured while responding to a domestic violence call Thursday night at a South San Jose hotel, authorities said.
The man suspected of shooting them, 33-year-old Kevin Briones, was also wounded when at least one of the officers returned fire. Police said Briones was arrested shortly after he dove through a third-story window in an attempt to escape.
“Today I am thankful our officers survived a gun battle with a very bad individual, for them stepping in the line of fire to ensure the safety of a mother and her children,” acting San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said at a Friday news conference. “I know that I could easily be here delivering very different news today.”
Joseph said a woman and her three children — ages 8, 10 and 15 — were staying in a room at the Extended Stay America on San Ignacio Avenue. She had called police earlier in the night to report that Briones, against whom she had secured a restraining order, was heading their way.
But Briones was not there when police officers arrived, and they left. Around 10:30 p.m., Briones reportedly showed up, and the woman called the hotel front desk to report a disturbance, which was relayed to police dispatchers.
The two SJPD officers went to the woman’s room and saw Briones walking away, Joseph said. They ordered him to stay where he was; moments later, Briones reportedly reached into a duffel bag he was carrying.
The officers told Briones to stop rustling through the bag; he responded by pulling out a 9mm pistol and shooting at the officers, hitting both of them, the chief said.
Joseph said at least one of the officers shot back, hitting Briones, who then ran down the hallway, leapt through a plate-glass window and fell three stories to the ground. Injured both by the gunshot and the fall, Briones apparently crawled his way to the adjacent Residence Inn property where other police officers spotted and detained him about 30 minutes after the initial encounter.
Both wounded officers are male, and the most seriously injured officer just completed his first year with the police department, Joseph said. That officer is in the hospital with what were classified as life-threatening injuries, but he is expected to survive, the chief added.
The second officer, who has three and a half years with SJPD, was also taken to a hospital where he was treated and released. Joseph said the second officer pulled his partner to safety and had already applied a tourniquet before realizing he had been wounded himself.
Joseph did not specify the nature of the officers’ injuries, but emergency dispatch recordings archived online indicated that the first officer was hit multiple times and the second officer was able to walk around after the shooting with an apparent graze wound.
The dispatch recordings also indicate that Briones was shot in the abdomen.
At the news conference, Mayor Matt Mahan said the shootings were “a reminder of the courage that it takes to put on the badge and protect our city every day knowing that you would give your life to protect the community you love.”
Joseph said Briones had two arrest warrants issued for him, one for violating probation and one for a previous domestic violence incident involving the family at the hotel Thursday. The chief added that Briones was prohibited from possessing a gun because of a prior felony conviction and that the handgun linked to him had been reported stolen during a car burglary in San Jose.
The last San Jose police officer to be shot and wounded in the line of duty was injured Aug. 16 last year while responding to a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex near Auzerais Avenue and Race Street. The female officer was ambushed by a man involved in the disturbance and was shot in the abdomen, inflicting serious injuries. The gunman was later charged with attempted murder of a peace officer.
Joseph said 12 officers have been the target of gunfire in the past 15 months and that five of them were wounded. He emphasized how close that Thursday night’s encounter came to tragedy.
“Only by the grace of God are we fortunate enough that those officers remain with us alive today,” Joseph said.
