WALNUT CREEK -- The man who allegedly shot a California Highway Patrol officer while pulled over on Interstate 680 Tuesday morning near Alamo was identified today as Christopher Boone Lacy, 38.
Contra Costa Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said that Lacy, a resident of the small Northern California town of Corning, was shot and killed by a fellow officer when Lacy shot CHP Officer Kenyon Youngstrom in the head after being pulled over for an obstructed license plate.
Youngstrom remained in critical condition Wednesday morning, Lee said. He'd pulled over Lacy Tuesday at about 8:20 a.m. as Lacy drove a Jeep Wrangler southbound on I-680 near the Livorna Road offramp, police said. Moments later, a second CHP officer
who had pulled up behind the jeep shot Lacy in his vehicle and aided the injured officer until emergency medical crews arrived, said Contra Costa sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee.The second officer had responded to the scene on reports of a dead deer near the road, Lee said. Youngstrom had already stopped Lacy nearby and approached the Jeep. He had a brief conversation with Lacy, then Lacy drew a handgun without warning and shot Youngstrom in the head, Lee said.
Moments later, the second officer approached from the rear passenger side and shot Lacy an unknown number of times, Lee said.
He returned to his car to radio in "officer down" as shocked motorists who witnessed the shooting phoned 911 for a fallen officer, Lee
said.The officer returned to give first aid to Youngstrom, and several civilians stopped to help as well, Lee said.
Investigators found a handgun, two loaded magazines and a knife in the Jeep, Lee said.
Lacy did not have any outstanding warrants. His last arrest had been for driving under the influence in Marin County in 2006, but he had no other apparent criminal record, Lee said.
Youngstrom, a 37-year-old married father of four, was taken to John Muir Medical Center.
Flowers were placed outside the two-story home of the officer in Cordelia, near Fairfield, as CHP colleagues came by to support the family.
The Oakbrook Elementary School PTA in Cordelia is planning an informal vigil for Youngstrom at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night in Ridgeview Park at 4950 Silver Creek Road in Fairfield.
"The family has asked we respect their privacy and give them time and space to figure out what they're doing, and we're trying to do that," said PTA Vice President Susan Young. "We just want them to know we are sending them our best and want to help in any way we can. He's fighting for his life and we're here to support him."
There are no planned speakers and the vigil is expected to be a brief,
quiet show of support, she said, with a moment of silence and candles lit.The Youngstrom home in a middle-class commuter neighborhood in Cordelia, located near I-680, set against rolling hills.
The officer's family "asked for everyone's prayers as Officer Youngstrom fights for his life," Paul Fontana, assistant chief of the CHP, said in a brief statement Tuesday night.
Youngstrom graduated from the academy in 2005 and worked mostly in the Martinez regional office, having been assigned to the Contra Costa office immediately after graduation. Before joining the CHP, Youngstrom served in the U.S. Army Reserve, Fontana said.
The investigation shut down the major East Bay artery, snarling traffic on highways and neighborhood streets throughout Central Contra Costa for most of the day.
The shooting was the first serious line-of-duty incident for Bay Area CHP officers since 32-year-old John P. Miller died after slamming into a tree while pursuing a suspected drunken driver in Livermore on Nov. 16, 2007. The last CHP officer shot in the Bay Area was on Jan. 20, 2010, when a robbery suspect wounded the officer at an Oakland Walgreens. The last fatal CHP shooting was Feb. 17, 2006, in Stanislaus County.
Outside John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, dozens of CHP and police officers walked forlornly into the lobby to hold a vigil Tuesday. Youngstrom had a large extended family, the CHP said, and relatives from Southern California arrived at the hospital throughout the day. Through Fontana, the family thanked their extended family and friends, the law enforcement and public safety communities, and the public for their support.
"We are family, and the community is part of that family as well," said an emotional CHP Sgt. Diana McDermott. "This is a situation where we all take an oath not to swerve from the path of duty. As you can imagine, it's difficult.
"You think about how tomorrow it may be my day or anyone else's," she said. " ... That's true every day you send a mother, father, husband or wife out to represent and protect the rest of us. We're grateful for all the support we know we're getting from the communities we serve."
The investigation into the shooting is being led by the Sheriff's office and District Attorney's Office, which is standard procedure for any officer-involved shooting that occurs in Contra Costa County.
Contact Sean Maher at 925-943-8013. Follow him at Twitter.com/OneSeanMaher. Staff writers Daniel M. Jimenez, Erin Ivie, Kristin J. Bender, David DeBolt and Elisabeth Nardi contributed to this report.
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