From the Martinez chief
Sent: 9/7/2008 6:00:58 PM
Subject: Sgt. Paul Starzyk-Martinez PD
I wanted to let you all know that I appreciate all of the calls &
e-mails supporting both me & my Department during this difficult time.
In particular the Office of the Sheriff, the California Highway Patrol,
Pleasant Hill PD & Concord PD have all gone far & above anyone's
expectations in rendering assistance to my employees & the citizens of
Martinez.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the correct version of what occurred here on Saturday; as usual, preliminary information is rarely accurate.
MPD Dispatch received a 911 call @1135hrs of an ex-husband (HMA
49yrs) who had arrived at his wife's place of employment on Pacheco Blvd
near Morello Ave. Apparently as the HMA was exiting his vehicle, the
ex-wife locked the front door due to his prior threats; additionally she
had an active TRO against him.
As two (2) MPD officers were en-route, updated info was that the HMA had
shattered the front window of the business & was displaying a handgun.
Moments before the first officer arrived, the majority of the patrons
fled out the back door into a parking lot; the ex-wife hid in a storage
closet while the HMA followed the patrons into the rear parking lot.
While in the parking lot, the HMA's teenaged daughter confronted him &
pleaded with him to leave; the HMA told his daughter he intended to kill
his ex-wife & the rest of his children.
The suspect then ran to an upstairs apartment adjacent to the parking
lot as the first MPD unit (K9-1) arrived, two (2) minutes after the call
was received. As that officer exited his vehicle with his MP-5, he
immediately heard gunshots from the upstairs apartment. Sgt Starzyk
arrived with 30 seconds of the first unit & deployed his AR-15 rifle,
realizing that they had an active shooter situation. Sgt Starzyk & K9-1
approached the upstairs apartment safely as there were no windows facing
their approach; as they neared the apartment they encountered an "L"
shaped intersection with two (2) facing apartment doors. At this time
they heard small children & an adult female screaming from inside the
apartment; as they got within ten (10) feet of the front door, the HMA
extended his left arm out & around the front door & fired two (2) rounds
from a .38 handgun, both of which struck Sgt Starzyk in the neck &
shoulder areas above his vest. Both Sgt Starzyk & K9-1 engaged the HMA
with .223 & .40 cal, after which Sgt Starzyk fell to the floor.
A second K9 unit (K9-2) arrived & as he attempted to remove Sgt
Starzyk, the suspect again began firing from behind the partially closed
front door. K9-1 again engaged the HMA, striking him multiple times
through the door. At this point K9-2 sent his K9 into the apartment,
locating the HMA inside the front door; the K9 bit the suspect & began
dragging him out of the apartment. As K9-2 approached to view the HMA,
he saw that the HMA was still armed and waving his handgun at the K9;
K9-2 engaged the suspect with his handgun & ended the confrontation.
Inside the apartment three (3) small children were found hiding in a
closet, along with a hysterical HFA; located in the kitchen was a
deceased HFA & another WFA who was actually under the body of the HFA.
The survivors were removed from the apartment while additional MPD &
CCSO units arrived to assist Sgt Starzyk.
In closing, I wanted all of you to know that Sgt Starzyk's death is a
tragedy but it was not in vain; five (5) people are alive today due his
& his officer's actions. Please share this story with your respective
departments.
Chief Tom J. Simonetti
Martinez Police Department
525 Henrietta Street
Martinez, CA
94553-2394
(925)372-3446
(925)228-3753 FAX
[email protected]
