Richmond Police Identify Woman Who Shot Officer During Mental Health Crisis Call
Police have identified the woman they say shot a Richmond police officer during a mental health incident Thursday evening. The nonfatal shooting was the second involving a law enforcement officer in Contra Costa County within hours last week.
Jasmine Robinson, 39, was arrested on charges of attempted murder, assault with an assault weapon and kidnapping in connection with the shooting Thursday. She is currently in custody at a reentry treatment and housing facility on a $500,000 bail, police said.
Richmond police officer Justin Church, a 20-year veteran of the department, was released from the hospital Friday after being treated for his wounds.
“We are grateful that our officer has been released from the hospital and, most importantly, did not suffer life-threatening injuries,” Richmond police said in a statement. “We are thankful for the care he received and continue to wish him a full and speedy recovery.”
Officials said the county’s behavioral health response team requested the officer as backup after receiving a mental health crisis call around 6:40 p.m.
Police Chief Timothy Simmons said the officer was shot “almost immediately” after arriving at the scene on the 2200 block of Key Boulevard, near the border of Richmond and El Cerrito, where the shooter had barricaded herself inside her home.
After Church was transported to a local hospital, Simmons said the suspect continued to fire “numerous rounds” of gunfire in multiple locations throughout the residence, striking multiple neighboring homes and vehicles, including a patrol car. Richmond Police Officers Association President Ben Therriault said the police vehicle was shot at six times while an officer was inside.
No residents or other law enforcement personnel were injured, according to police.
Simmons said the Richmond Police Department SWAT team and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene to assist, along with other law enforcement agencies.
Richmond Police’s crisis negotiations team contacted the suspect in an attempt to “bring the incident to a peaceful resolve,” Simmons said, before police ultimately deployed “chemical agents” in an attempt to get her to comply.
Before the woman was taken into custody, Therriault said she briefly tried to “sprint and run away.”
“I’m extremely grateful that our officer is expected to survive and that no resident, no community member or no assisting personnel were injured in this unfortunate incident,” he said Thursday. “Given the number of rounds fired, this incident could have ended with many additional injuries or several losses of life.”
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office said Monday that Richmond police were likely still investigating, as the department had not yet referred Robinson’s case. The department said in a statement Friday that it anticipated filing additional charges.
Earlier on Thursday afternoon, a Pittsburg officer and suspect being booked into jail were shot in an altercation at the city’s police headquarters. Both were hospitalized and are in stable condition.
KQED’s Alex Emslie contributed to this report.