Fremont Officer Accidentally Shot Suspect After Being Bitten by K9, Police Say

A Fremont police officer last week unintentionally shot a burglary suspect after being bitten by a police dog, authorities said.

The Fremont Police Department detailed the Feb. 14 shooting in a statement posted to social media Thursday evening. It said the shooting came after Fremont officers were assisting other Bay Area law enforcement agencies in the pursuit of four burglary suspects.

Seventeen-year FPD veteran Sgt. James Taylor was pursuing a suspect on foot, the statement said, when a police dog bit Taylor, causing him to unintentionally fire his gun.

Taylor shot the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Freddy Magana Gonzales, in the torso. Gonzales was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He is in police custody on suspicion of burglary, along with the other suspects involved.

The Fremont Police Department is leading an investigation into the shooting, and Capt. Matthew Snelson said it’s not clear how long that could take, noting that it could be “a few weeks.”

Taylor was previously involved in multiple police shootings — the first occurring in 2017, also involving a dog bite. Taylor was in a physical altercation with Nana Adomako, and when he released his police dog, it began biting him instead of Adomako, the East Bay Times reported.

Taylor then drew his weapon and shot Adomako three times at close range, killing him.

The Alameda County district attorney’s office found Taylor’s decision to fire his gun was “reasonable under the circumstances,” and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Two years later, Taylor and K9 Officer Jennifer Allsup were at the scene of another police shooting. The two officers arrived shortly after Officer Ryan Lobue fatally shot a gunman. All three officers were placed on administrative leave.