Solano County Coroner's Office Archives - Open Vallejo

Grainy black-and-white surveillance image shows Darryl Mefferd, handcuffed and wearing a Chicago Bulls shirt, leaning forward in the backseat of a police vehicle. He appears distressed. A timestamp in the upper-left corner reads “2016-12-07 23:54:12.”

‘I can’t breathe’: video shows death Vallejo police concealed for years

by Anna Bauman May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

A scanned section of a Solano County Coroner’s Office death investigation report for Phillip Steve Boursiquot. The document, signed by the Sheriff-Coroner, describes the scene and condition of the decedent, including visible injuries and the presence of a white crystalline substance. A highlighted sentence reads, “There was a concern that the decedent may have been shot and the bullet did not exit.” The report concludes with the forensic pathologist’s determination that the cause of death was acute methamphetamine and alcohol intoxication. The Vallejo Police Department and Detective William Carpenter are listed as assisting personnel.

Overdose, not gunshot, killed man found in Vallejo park

by Matthew Brown April 14, 2025April 14, 2025

A muddy lot with a large yellow City of Vallejo backhoe parked in the center. In the foreground, a small, weathered American flag stands among scattered belongings including plastic bags, a suitcase, and wooden debris.

New details emerge in killing of unhoused man in Vallejo

by Matthew Brown March 11, 2025March 11, 2025

High school yearbook-style photographs of eight student athletes in a grid.

Vallejo public works crew accidentally killed unhoused man

by Anna Bauman February 25, 2025February 28, 2025

Two uniformed officers in black stand at a cordoned-off area in late-afternoon light. One officer pulls a strip of bright yellow police tape, while the other, out of focus in the foreground, extends a hand toward the camera.

Vallejo sees first homicide of 2025

by Matthew Brown January 17, 2025February 8, 2025

A chain-link fence with a broken section lying on the grass, surrounded by scattered debris and overgrown vegetation. Ivy climbs a nearby building wall, and an open, grassy lot extends into the distance under the soft light of dusk.

Vallejo police investigate human remains found in trash pile

by Geoffrey King December 27, 2024March 11, 2025

Vallejo police officers confer beside a damaged vehicle at a nighttime crime scene, with flashing red and blue lights reflecting off the surroundings and a tree in the background.

Ambush-style shooting leaves two people dead in Vallejo

by Matthew Brown November 30, 2024November 30, 2024

A stop sign in the foreground, partially obscuring the view of a playground and a light-colored building with trees lining the street. The evening sky is visible, with soft lighting and hints of sunset behind the scene. A surveillance device hangs from street sign in the center of the image.

Man fatally shot in Vallejo early Monday morning

by Vanessa Arredondo October 24, 2024October 24, 2024

A portrait of Darryl Mefferd

The secret death of Darryl Dean Mefferd

by Laurence Du Sault June 10, 2024January 27, 2025

A Black woman in her early 40s wearing a white shirt poses for a portrait on her porch at sunset. An uncannily-accurate tattoo of her twin brother Charles, who was killed by Vallejo police in 2007, when they were 26, adorns her right arm.

Vallejo police concealed violent deaths for years, Open Vallejo lawsuit reveals

by Laurence Du Sault August 24, 2023January 28, 2025