LOS ANGELES, CA – A domestic violence incident in San Bernardino escalated into a gunfight between a suspect and police Wednesday morning, leaving two people wounded and the suspect dead, authorities said.
The confrontation began after the San Bernardino Police Department received a 911 call at about 8:48 a.m. Sept. 23 from a woman who reported that she had been shot.
According to police, dispatchers remained on the phone with the woman as the situation unfolded. They could hear screaming, arguing and gunfire in the background before officers arrived at the residence.
The incident is now being investigated as both a homicide-related case and an officer-involved shooting, with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office assisting with the review of the officers’ use of deadly force.
911 call captured escalating violence
Police said the woman who called 911 reported that she had been shot.
While dispatchers remained connected to the call, they reportedly heard an argument and additional gunfire. Authorities said the suspect could also be heard threatening the woman during the call.
Investigators later identified the suspect as Herman James, a Redlands resident, according to police.
Authorities said James and the woman had previously been in a dating relationship that had recently ended.
Police said James went to the woman’s residence Wednesday morning and asked to speak with her in the front yard. An argument followed, and investigators allege that James shot the woman.
When the woman’s adult son came outside, police said he was also shot.
Authorities further allege that James struck the woman with the handgun before she went back inside the residence. Police said he then shot her again.
The allegations have not been tested in court because James died during the subsequent confrontation with officers.
Officers exchanged gunfire with suspect
When officers arrived, they found the woman’s son near the driveway and the woman on the porch near the front entrance of the home.
As officers attempted to reach the injured woman, police said James opened fire on them from inside the residence.
Officers returned fire.
The confrontation continued as officers entered the home, where police again fired at James, according to the department’s account.
James was struck by police gunfire and was transported to a hospital. He was later pronounced dead at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
No officers were injured in the exchange.
The two shooting victims were also taken to hospitals. Police said both were in stable condition and were expected to survive.
Another person found hiding inside home
During a search of the residence following the shooting, officers discovered a third person hiding underneath a bed.
Police said that person was safely removed from the home and was not injured.
The discovery added another element to an already complex investigation, as detectives worked to determine the sequence of events inside and outside the residence and establish what happened before officers arrived.
Authorities have not indicated that the third person was involved in the shooting.
Suspect had prior criminal history
Investigators said James had a prior criminal history that included offenses involving domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and weapons violations.
Those records are part of the information being considered as detectives reconstruct the events that preceded Wednesday’s shooting.
The police department’s current account describes the incident as beginning with a domestic violence-related confrontation and escalating to gunfire directed at responding officers.
The circumstances surrounding the original shooting of the woman and her son remain part of the investigation.
District attorney reviewing officer-involved shooting
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office’s Officer-Involved Shooting Response Team is assisting with the investigation.
The county says its review process is intended to independently examine shootings and other lethal uses of force by peace officers. According to the district attorney’s office, investigators review relevant evidence and determine whether the use of force was legally justified or whether criminal liability may apply.
The office’s review can result in different findings depending on the evidence, including a determination that the shooting was justified in self-defense or defense of others, a finding that the force was not justified but that there is insufficient evidence for criminal liability, or a determination that sufficient evidence exists to establish criminal liability.
No such final determination has been announced in this case.
The San Bernardino Police Department’s public information page also provides access to the department’s police press releases and information about investigations.
Investigation remains active
Detectives with the San Bernardino Police Department’s Homicide Unit are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The department has asked anyone with information about the incident to contact Detective Donald Roy at 909-998-3660 or [email protected]. Information can also be provided to Sgt. Erik Campos at 909-998-3491 or [email protected].
The investigation will determine the sequence of events leading to the initial shooting, the gunfire that followed and the circumstances under which officers fired their weapons.
For now, police have identified two injured victims, no injured officers and one deceased suspect following the Sept. 23 confrontation. The district attorney’s independent review of the officer-involved shooting remains pending.
