Officers Shoot, Kill Armed Man at San Ramon 7-Eleven

Police shot dead a gunman after an hour-long standoff at 7-Eleven on San Ramon Valley Boulevard early this morning.

Investigators are now trying to determine whether the suspect was responsible for a burglary at a Dublin gun shop a few minutes before midnight, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

The man, whose name hasn't been released, drove to the convenience store in a stolen car minutes after 2 a.m. to buy beer, authorities say. The clerk refused, and the man allegedly held him at gunpoint before helping himself to alcohol from the store refrigerators, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Jimmy Lee.

The store employee left the minimart and crossed the street to Safeway, where he called 9-1-1 and asked for help.

The suspect, who was described as white and in his early 20s, spent the next hour or so guzzling booze. Then, at about 3:15 a.m., he stepped out into the parking lot, took a last swill of beer, threw the can on the ground and aimed his gun at the cops.

Numerous officers shot back, killing the man on the spot, Lee said.

"Officers were negotiating with him and then he decided to step outside," Lee said. "We don't know yet how many officers fired a gun."

This morning, the gunman's body lay in the parking lot for several hours covered by a yellow tarp. Lafayette, Danville and San Ramon officers responded to the incident with sheriff's deputies. The sheriff's office is helping the local cops deal with all the media attention.

Several San Ramon police were placed on administrative leave as the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office investigates the shootout, a standard practice for office-involved shootings, Lee said.

Part of San Ramon Valley Boulevard was cordoned off this morning for several hours but was open again by noon. The area surrounding 7-Eleven remains roped off by crime scene tape, and TV news vans are camped out across the street.

Police have yet to disclose how many officers actually shot the man.

The last officer-involved shooting was seven years ago, when a 52-year-old woman brandished a gun at police as they tried to take her in to a mental health clinic, said San Ramon police.

"It is a rare event," said Lee of shootings in San Ramon.