Update, 5:50 a.m., By Bay City News: A BART police officer accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer while conducting a probation search in Dublin Tuesday afternoon was a 20-year veteran of the department.
Sergeant Tom Smith, 42, died at Eden Medical Center shortly after he was shot, leaving behind his wife, who is K-9 officer with the BART Police Department, and his 6-year-old daughter, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a website dedicated to fallen officers.
Smith is the first BART officer to die in the line of duty. BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey and General Manager Grace Crunican said in a statement, "The entire BART organization is deeply saddened by this tragic event and we ask the public to keep the officer's family in its thoughts and prayers."
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"Last picture of Boris, my beautiful daughter and me. He was a great dog and even better partner," Smith wrote in the caption. Friends commented on the photo, offering condolences for the dog's passing.
In several photos, Smith is wearing New York Yankees or Oakland Athletics baseball caps, and his profile picture is of is daughter hugging Oakland A's mascot Stomper. A number of Smith's Facebook friends have changed their profile pictures to a blue line across a black background to symbolize the loss.
The Deputy Sheriff's Association of Alameda County posted the following on their Facebook page last night:
Always Remembered...Sergeant Tom Smith, Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department, California EOW: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Update, 4:22 p.m.: A spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office said that a BART officer was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow BART officer during a probation search at the Park Sierra apartment building located at 6450 Dougherty Road in Dublin Tuesday.
The shooting happened at 1:03 p.m., according to BART police. The officer was taken to Eden Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to Sergeant JD Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.
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The suspect, who is not being identified, was wanted by BART police for several crimes committed on the BART train, including robbery, and was not home at the time of the incident, according to Nelson.
Dublin police are currently investigating and questioning all officers who were at the scene. According to Nelson, an officer from Dublin Police Services was stationed outside the apartment during the search, in addition to several BART officers who were inside conducting the search.
Original Article—
A BART police officer was shot and killed in Dublin shortly after 1 p.m.Tuesday by a fellow BART officer, according to BART police.
The name of the officer has not been released yet.
The officer was conducting a probation search when the shooting occurred in the area of Dougherty Road and Dublin Boulevard. The officer was transported to a local hospital, but he did not survive.
BART issued the following statement shortly before 4 p.m.
"BART has been informed that one of our officers has died from wounds sustained during a shooting earlier today. The entire BART organization is deeply saddened by this tragic event and we ask the public to keep the officer’s family in its thoughts and prayers."
The Dublin Police Department has taken over the investigation of the shooting.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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