Detective fatally shoots man during commute, shutting down I-80 in Bay Area

A Richmond police detective shot and killed a man Thursday morning on Interstate 80, prompting the California Highway Patrol to close all of westbound lanes of the freeway during the morning commute and choking the major link between the Bay Area and Sacramento.

Richmond police Lt. Donald Patchin said an officer in the department shot somebody on I-80 near the Highway 4 exit in Hercules. Law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation confirmed that county coroner’s deputies initially were called to the highway but later to a hospital where the person who was shot died.

Authorities said the detective was in an all-black police SUV, dressed in a detective’s uniform, when he noticed a crashed vehicle stopped in the diamond lane. The detective, whose name has not been released, stopped his car and activated his lights behind the stopped car, then noticed the man attempting to walk into traffic lanes of Interstate 80 carrying a scissor jack, authorities said.

The man, who has not been publicly identified, allegedly then tried to open the police vehicle. When the detective exited his side, authorities say the man charged at him with the jack in hand, and the detective drew his pistol and shot the man.

It was not immediately clear whether any video footage exists of the incident. Unlike patrol officers, detectives don’t typically wear cameras on their uniforms.

According to the CHP, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office will be the lead investigative agency, because the incident involved more than one police jurisdiction.

The CHP shut down all lanes in the westbound direction of I-80 after police flooded the area. All lanes of the freeway were not opened again until after noon.

The agency issued a Sig Alert for severe traffic about 7:30 a.m. and announced that it had shut down all three lanes on I-80 on the freeway before the Richmond Parkway exit. They later said that they closed a lane on eastbound I-80 and were diverting traffic off the freeway at the Willow Avenue exit in Hercules.

The CHP said the Sig Alert remained in effect past 1:30 p.m.

Initially, the CHP described the incident as “major police activity.” District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Ted Asregadoo said the agency expected to release more information later Thursday.

After the shooting, helicopters circled the area overhead and motorists coming from Vallejo were urged not to use the Carquinez Bridge. Instead, they were advised to use I-780 to I-680 and to cross the Benicia Bridge.

The CHP did not have an estimate for how long the freeway would remain closed for the investigation.

This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 10:09 AM.