The officers were walking toward a group of men near Luby and Ripley drives Sunday when one of them opened fire.
[Ads /]
"These are fathers, brothers, members of our community, and like everyone they have families they want to go home safely at night," said Sean Pritchard of the San Jose Police Officer's Association. "The officers were out here to do their very best to eradicate the gangs that plague this area."
They approached a group of young men in the parking lot of an apartment complex. They began to run, all except one.
"This individual, very cowardly and calculated ,raised the pointed the gun at these officers and for no reason whatsoever and fired," Pritchard said.
The gunman missed. He escaped into the night. Officers did not return fire. The police union Monday offered a $10,000 reward through Crime Stoppers, saying enough is enough.
"We've had an absolute breakdown in society when a subject feels its OK to point a firearm and ultimately try to kill a police officer," Pritchard said. "We're drawing a line in the sand and this is going to stop now."
Police chief Eddie Garcia cautioned his officers.
[Ads /]
"It's a reminder to all of our officers that they have to be vigilant and take care of one another," Garcia said.
Police aren't the only ones who are vigilant.
"I've got a 17-month-old and I'm not trying to raise her in this stuff," said San Jose resident Joseph Ponce.
Ponce says it's scary living here. He's moving at the end of the year.
"This house got shot at and the other apartment next to it got shot up," he added.
Garcia said the shooting will not deter his officers from keeping a high profile in the neighborhood where gangs are trying to take over.