Man Fatally Shot by Alameda County Deputies Had Object Meant to Look Like Gun, Officials Say

After Alameda County sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a man near San Leandro, who they believed had a gun, an investigation by the California Department of Justice suggests he was unarmed.

On Thursday, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that deputies shot and killed Anthony Joseph Anderson, 40, after he pointed an object designed to look like a firearm.

Emergency dispatchers received a call around 3:20 a.m. Monday from a man who said he had a gun and wanted to go on a “killing rampage,” Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Roberto Morales said in a statement.

Home security footage obtained by KTVU shows Anderson on the 16000 block of Selborne Drive in the hills of unincorporated San Leandro walking toward sheriff’s deputies with an object. Anderson stopped and raised the object, and the two deputies opened fire, believing the object was a gun, according to authorities.

Neighbors later told KTVU that Anderson was holding a pipe. The man died of his injuries.

Morales did not confirm whether deputies recovered a firearm from the scene and referred KQED to the California DOJ, the primary investigator. The two deputies are on paid administrative leave, per the Sheriff’s Office’s policy.

Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office told KQED it is investigating the shooting under AB 1506, a California law requiring the state’s DOJ to investigate law enforcement shootings of “anyone who is not in possession of a deadly weapon.”

California is currently investigating around 50 of these cases, dating back to 2022, including five in the Bay Area. Most recently, officials said they were investigating the fatal shooting of Luis Angel Torres Rivera by Richmond Police Officer Brandon Hodges on Interstate 80 in January.

A memorial is planned for Thursday evening at Starry Plough Pub in Berkeley, where Anderson frequently performed music.

“Anthony was a talented young musician who brought so much heart and energy to our community,” the pub wrote on social media. “He will deeply be missed.”