Jason Amen Watts
Published on June 13, 2001,
Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
CORONER'S INQUESTS A MIXED BAG
More than a few people were puzzled by a recent coroner's inquest ruling that it was accidental when a Walnut Creek police officer killed a Pittsburg man Feb. 13.
After all, Officer David Wright testified during the May 29 hearing that he fired four bullets that killed 23-year-old Jason Amen Watts.
Yet the nine-member panel ruled the shooting an accident rather than "at the hands of another."
The ruling sheds light on an enduring quarrel between civil rights attorneys. .
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Fake-Credit-Card-Suspect-Draws-gun-Shot-Dead-by-2952175.php
Published on June 13, 2001,
Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
CORONER'S INQUESTS A MIXED BAG
More than a few people were puzzled by a recent coroner's inquest ruling that it was accidental when a Walnut Creek police officer killed a Pittsburg man Feb. 13.
After all, Officer David Wright testified during the May 29 hearing that he fired four bullets that killed 23-year-old Jason Amen Watts.
Yet the nine-member panel ruled the shooting an accident rather than "at the hands of another."
The ruling sheds light on an enduring quarrel between civil rights attorneys. .
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Fake-Credit-Card-Suspect-Draws-gun-Shot-Dead-by-2952175.php
Fake Credit Card Suspect Draws gun, Shot Dead by Police / 2nd person ever killed by Walnut Creek cops
Charlie Goodyear, Matthew Taylor, Chronicle Staff Writers
Published 4:00 am, Thursday, February 15, 2001
A police officer shot and killed an armed suspect at an electronics store in Walnut Creek after he refused to drop his gun, authorities said yesterday. Jason Amen Watts, who, according to court records, had a prior conviction for theft and burglary in Walnut Creek in 1998.
Police identified the slain suspect as 23-year-old
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Pete Bennett in Kasier Hospital
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Officers responded shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a man using a fraudulent credit card at the Good Guys at 2044 Mt. Diablo Boulevard.
Customer Jeff Stimson was 10 feet away when he saw police confront Watts, then shout, "Don't move! Keep your hands out."
Customer Jeff Stimson was 10 feet away when he saw police confront Watts, then shout, "Don't move! Keep your hands out."
The officers repeated the commands several times before the shooting began, which Stimson heard but did not see.
"I first thought it was the TVs making a popping noise," Stimson said, adding he thought he heard a total of five shots.
"I first thought it was the TVs making a popping noise," Stimson said, adding he thought he heard a total of five shots.
"It was shocking," Stimson said. "It's too close to home."
Police were releasing few details of the shooting yesterday but Lt. Damien Sandoval confirmed that two veteran officers have been placed on paid leave pending an investigation by the department and the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office.
Sandoval said only one officer was believed to have fired at Watts after the suspect drew a gun and pointed it at police.
"We're not sure yet how many times," Sandoval said. "It was multiple shots. We don't know if there was an exchange of gunfire."
Asked whether the officers had told Watts to drop his weapon, Sandoval said,
"There were some orders shouted. There were orders shouted back and forth."
Watts was later pronounced dead at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
Police have had prior contacts with Watts, whose last known address was in Pittsburg. A man who answered the telephone at Watts' family home said his relatives were not available for comment.
Investigators had trouble determining the identity of the suspect after finding several "conflicting" documents on his body. Watts was recognized by some officers and his name was eventually confirmed through fingerprints, Sandoval said.
In 1998, Watts pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and petty theft. He was sentenced to 90 days in the county jail, a $100 fine and three years probation. The state Department of Corrections has no records for Watts.
Detectives were also looking into another possible male suspect who was arrested outside the store for an outstanding warrant. Police would not say if that person was a suspected accomplice.
"There was another person contacted at the scene," Sandoval said. "They're trying to clear that up right now."
Yesterday's incident was only the second fatal shooting by Walnut Creek police. In December 1999, police killed a suspect near the Broadway Plaza Shopping Center after he fired at them.
Asked about how the officers responded Tuesday, Sandoval said, "They were confronted with the most extreme set of circumstances," adding he believed the officers acted appropriately.
