Investigation of 14-year-old shot pits Sacramento County sheriff against Kaiser

The investigation into a shooting of a 14-year-old boy who was struck in the face Wednesday night prompted Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper to call out health care giant Kaiser Permanente for obstructing detectives seeking information on the case.

Sheriff’s deputies responded just before 10 p.m. Wednesday to a ShotSpotter alert activation near 42nd Street and Apostolo Circle in the Lemon Hill section of south Sacramento where the 14-year-old boy had been shot in the face, authorities said.

The gunshot wound was not considered life-threatening, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Amar Gandhi, and the 14-year-old is expected to survive after being taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, south Sacramento.

Authorities said Wednesday night that a suspect was detained. .

On Thursday morning, Cooper lashed out against Kaiser Permanente for the health care giant’s policies meant to safeguard patient information, which he claims interfere with law enforcement’s ability to investigate crimes.

The policies instruct health care workers to have law enforcement officers fill out forms and provide applicable warrants, subpoenas or other documents before contacting or receiving information about a patient.

The protocol stands in response to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, that requires health care providers to protect patient information, and limits its release without permission from the patient.

“This isn’t ‘patient privacy,’ it’s obstruction,” Cooper wrote Thursday morning on X. “HIPAA does not protect images or video of a possible suspect vehicle fleeing a crime scene.”

Cooper said the policy at Kaiser Permanente goes beyond its stated purpose and consequently protects suspects of serious crimes whose victims often intersect with health care systems, such as domestic violence and sexual abuse.

“This was no accident,” Cooper wrote. “Kaiser administrators have pushed misguided policies aimed at thwarting immigration enforcement, which we do not participate in as we are legally prohibited from doing so in California. They’ve created dangerous roadblocks for all law enforcement, especially when investigating violent crimes.”

Kaiser officials, in a statement to The Sacramento Bee, described a different experience Wednesday night.

“We were surprised to see the social media post this morning from Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper,” company spokesperson Chyresse Hill wrote. “We have had a long, positive relationship with the sheriff and his office and have nothing but respect for the work they do.”

According to Kaiser, hospital workers cooperated with officers on Wednesday night, allowing deputies to interview the shooting victim and review video they had asked to see. But the company said its employees asked deputies for a warrant to take possession of the video. Kaiser Permanente security enhanced the quality of the video and provided the information from the footage to law enforcement Thursday.

“We follow the same, widely used processes that we have had in place for many years when it comes to cooperating with law enforcement,” the spokesperson said. “We also are required, by state and federal law, to protect the privacy of our members and patients. This is not specific to immigration enforcement matters. We follow the same policies for cooperating with every law enforcement agency while complying with patient privacy laws.”

At their request, Cooper agreed to meet Thursday with hospital officials, according to the statement.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 1:12 PM.