Suspect killed in shootout with police

Martinez Police received a call from the Pleasant Hill Police Department (PHPD) just after 11 a.m. on Sunday, requesting backup assistance after receiving reports of shots fired in a home adjacent to Sun Valley Mall. After a five-hour standoff, during which a 32-year-old male suspect repeatedly exchanged gun fire with police, a Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team member shot and killed the man.
 
“When other local departments have a major event [such as this], all agencies in central Costa County will respond,” said Commander Gary Peterson yesterday. “We sent two officers to the scene to assist with perimeter patrol. One of the reasons [MPD officers] were sent was because we are equipped with patrol rifles, and the subject was armed with high powered rifles so we meet force with force.”
 
The PHPD issued an updated account of Sunday’s events, which took place on Audrey Lane in Pleasant Hill.
 
“Investigators have learned that this incident started as an argument between the suspect, Renardo Flores, and two friends, one male and one female. The friends had been visiting Flores when he became angry and threatened the male with a semi-automatic handgun. The male and female both attempted to escape the home…during their attempt to escape the home, Flores fired at least three rounds at the female but she was not injured…the male was shot in the face at close range. He was treated and released a local hospital.”
 
When law enforcement first arrived, they evacuated nearby residents and contained Flores, but at one point he tried to escape out the backyard, where he was met with police and fired at them with an assault rifle. Police fired back but Flores retreated.
 
“During the standoff, it appears that Flores moved between his home and [a] neighbor’s home next door that was unoccupied,” said PHPD Lt. Dan Connelly. “Shortly before 4 p.m., tear gas was inserted into the house. Again, the suspect responded by firing out the door at officers in the area. A short time later the suspect came out the back door armed with an assault rifle…presented an extreme threat to officers and was shot by a SWAT officer. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
 
The officer-involved killing is currently under investigation by the PHPD, CCC Sheriff’s Office and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.