Pittsburg officer, suspect injured in exchange of gunfire

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KGO) -- A Pittsburg police officer and an attempted murder suspect were injured in an exchange of gunfire in Pittsburg Wednesday morning, according to police.

Both the officer, a 24-year veteran of the Pittsburg Police Department, and the suspect, a 49-year-old Bay Point man suspected of trying to kill his wife in Concord, are expected to survive their injuries.

The officer, according to police, jumped out of his car and chased the suspect. The suspect ran around a blue house then stopped, pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and shot the officer in the leg as he rounded the corner. The officer returned fire and hit the suspect multiple times.

"The man was left in the street, shot, bleeding out of his stomach," neighbor Lynn Zairi said.

Both the officer and the suspect were taken to a hospital for treatment. The officer was treated and released and the suspect is expected to survive his injuries, according to Pittsburg police.

A total of 18 shots were fired between the two of them.

Concord Police Cpl. Christopher Blakely said the suspect was wanted for allegedly trying to shoot his wife in the 3500 block of Willow Pass Road at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

After police received word spread the suspect was in the neighborhood, they spotted his white Honda Civic on the side of the blue home, where it was believed the man was visiting someone.

When he pulled the trigger, the gun jammed, Blakely said.

Wednesday morning's shooting is being investigated by Pittsburg police and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office. Concord police are investigating Tuesday evening's attempted murder.

Neither the suspect nor officer were identified. The officer is expected to survive and the suspect's condition hasn't been released.

Bay City News contributed to this report.