A public meeting and court hearings have shed new light on the Aug. 29 Vallejo police shooting of 24-year-old Alexander Schumann, including police footage that appears to show Schumann pointing a pellet gun at officers before turning away with his hands raised as he is shot from behind.
At a town hall on Sept. 11, the city of Vallejo screened redacted audio and video depicting the nonfatal shooting of Schumann by officers Himanshu Saini and Daniel Saravia, after Schumann allegedly pointed a pellet gun at them while suffering from an apparent mental health crisis at an East Vallejo apartment complex.
“Our commitment this evening, as always, is to continue earning your trust with openness and transparency,” Vallejo Police Chief Jason Ta told the crowd of about 30 people at Jesse Bethel High School, about 1.5 miles from where the shooting occurred.
But the department has yet to release footage other than a recording of the town hall, and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office is seeking a court order to seal all evidence in the case, despite a state law that requires agencies to disclose footage of law enforcement shootings within 45 days.
Schumann faces multiple criminal charges in Solano County in connection with the incident.
The shooting
The town hall began with introductions by police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis, Ta, and Capt. Sanjay Ramrakha. Deputy Police Chief Robert Knight then presented four 911 recordings, followed by videos from the shooting officers’ vehicle and body-worn cameras.
At approximately 5:15 p.m. on Aug. 29, an individual called 911 to report that a man in a white tracksuit and ski mask had fallen from the hood of a silver SUV around the intersection of Ascot and Columbus Parkways, Knight said before playing the 911 calls. The caller told a police dispatcher that it appeared a driver had been trying to get the masked individual off their car, according to audio presented at the meeting. Patrol officers were not available to respond at that time, Knight said.
At 6:02 p.m., another man who lives at the Blue Rock Village apartment complex called to report a man of a similar description breaking car windows in the parking lot. Three minutes later police received another call from a woman to “report a crazy person.” She identified the individual as Alexander Schumann and told dispatch that he said he wanted police to shoot him.
“He’s saying that?” the dispatcher asked.
“Yes,” the caller replied.
In the fourth call to police, a woman mistakenly reported that Schumann was firing a gun. The dispatcher immediately disconnected the call to alert police.
Knight told the audience that the officers who responded to the call did not know whether Schumann was armed before he allegedly produced the pellet gun.
In dashcam footage, officers Saini and Saravia can be seen driving toward a silver SUV with an open passenger door. Schumann is seen sitting in the passenger seat with his hands in his pockets. Upon arrival, officers immediately note Schumann’s hand placement as a concern and begin yelling commands, according to the footage.
Schumann then steps out of the car, walks toward Saini and Saravia, and points what appears to be a firearm at them. Just before the officers open fire, the footage shows Schumann turn away and raise his hands above his head while still holding the object. The officers then fired seven rounds, striking Schumann in the upper and lower body, according to Knight.
Seconds later, Saini, Saravia, and four other officers whose faces are redacted move in to handcuff Schumann and start first aid, the footage shows. Open Vallejo has identified three of the officers as Sgt. Justin Samaniego, a member of the department’s SWAT team, and two Marine Corps veterans, officers Michael Young and Devin Gunn. Only Saini and Saravia fired on Schumann, who suffered gunshot wounds to his back, hip, and foot, according to his attorney, Chief Deputy Public Defender Oscar Bobrow.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter landed in a grassy area and flew Schumann to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he underwent emergency surgery, Schumann’s father told Open Vallejo. Schumann survived the shooting and is being held at Solano County Jail on $40,000 bail in relation to the shooting, $40,000 bail for an alleged incident in May, as well as $30,000 bail for misdemeanor charges in Kern County, court records show.
Police later discovered that the supposed firearm was actually a non-functioning pellet gun with black tape wrapped around the barrel and grip.
The Solano County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether Saini or Saravia violated any criminal laws, Ramrakha, who leads the department’s administrative bureau, said during the Sept. 11 town hall. The city of Vallejo has retained Renne Public Law Group to conduct a separate administrative review of the shooting, according to Ramrakha.
Schumann’s father, James Schumann, was the first community member to speak during the public comment period.
“I keep hearing, ‘Shots fired, shots fired,’ and it’s clear that everyone just showed up there, and the gun that my son produced didn’t have a trigger. So whose shots were fired?” he asked. Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis said that the phrase referred to the bullets fired by officers.
“Before that, what attempt to de-escalate was there?” James Schumann said. Hollis responded that officers made “multiple attempts at de-escalation,” explaining that they “staged at the scene” and “contacted each other just to make sure that we had enough officers there in case.”
Community member Liat Meitzenheimer asked police whether they had taken Schumann’s mental health status into consideration.
“The answer is no. No information was known to officers at that time,” Knight responded.
Knight did not indicate whether officers were made aware of the 911 caller who had reported that Schumann wanted police to shoot him.
Mayor Andrea Sorce, who attended the meeting, told Open Vallejo she is focused on ensuring officials follow the proper review processes and thanked the chief of police for keeping her updated.
Charges reduced
Schumann limped into court Monday, unassisted, with his wrists shackled. He wore a green-striped, jail-issued jumpsuit and bright orange Crocs. He appeared to be in considerable pain.
The Solano County District Attorney’s Office charged Schumann with multiple alleged offenses, including felony vandalism, on Sept. 4. In a preliminary hearing Monday, Judge John B. Ellis reduced the vandalism charge to a misdemeanor, noting that Schumann has no prior criminal record. He now stands charged with five misdemeanors in relation to the incident, including for allegedly brandishing a replica firearm.
At Monday’s hearing, Schumann’s attorney Oscar Bobrow presented police dashcam footage not previously disclosed at the Sept. 11 town hall. The footage, from Ofc. Devin Gunn’s patrol SUV, begins with Gunn following officers Saini and Saravia to the parking lot where they shot Schumann. The video captures the scene from the left of Saini and Saravia’s vehicle as they step out of the car, take aim at Schumann, and fire.
At the end of that hearing, Deputy District Attorney Ashlee Thomas asked Ellis to seal all evidence in the case. Bobrow told Ellis that his office will oppose any such order. Ellis said he would consider the request at a later date.
A 2019 state law requires agencies to release video and audio of police shootings to the public within 45 days unless, “based on the facts and circumstances depicted in the recording, disclosure would substantially interfere with the investigation, such as by endangering the safety of a witness or a confidential source.”
Open Vallejo is currently suing Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams after her office obtained an order blocking the release of footage from the 2023 nonfatal Vallejo police shooting of Jamazea Kittell. The lawsuit alleges that the district attorney’s office failed to inform Judge Robert S. Bowers of the transparency law, AB 748, when seeking the order. Additionally, prosecutors obtained the order without notice to Open Vallejo, which had requested the footage, or attorneys in the Solano County Counsel’s Office, who were in the process of preparing the records for public release.
Toward the end of Monday’s hearing, Bobrow asked Judge Ellis to reduce Schumann’s bail and allow for his release from the Solano County Jail.
“His being in custody with a bullet in his back is incredibly painful and akin to punishing him physically for what’s occurred,” Bobrow told the court.
Solano County District Attorney investigator Brian Murphy testified that police shot Schumann in the hip, flank, and foot, and that he was unaware of the locations of any entry or exit wounds.
Ellis denied Schumann’s request for reduced bail but ordered the county to conduct a mental health assessment to determine whether he should be transferred out of jail.
Schumann is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 23.
