Press Conference: Suspect Displayed a Gun, Was Shot by Three Deputies

At a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Santa Clara County Sherrif Laurie Smith gave details as to how Shareef Allman, the man responsible for shootings in Cupertino and Sunnyvale on Tuesday, was located and shot earlier that morning.

Smith said three deputies were on "routine patrol" in the Birdland neighborhood of Sunnyvale, near 934 Lorne Way, and stopped to talk to each other when one of the deputies noticed movement behind a vehicle.

The deputies saw a man matching the description of Allman crouched behind the car.

Smith said the man displayed aggressive behavior and brandished a handgun.

"He displayed, in a threatening way, a firearm," she said.

At that point, Smith said all three deputies fired on the suspect, who died at the scene.

"The deputies ID'd him as the suspect they were looking for, because he matched the description," Smith said. "Right now, we believe this is the suspect from yesterday's incident."

Smith said it is unclear whether or not anyone was in the house where the suspect was crouched behind the vehicle, although neighbors at the scene have been telling media that a family was seen being escorted out of the home and placed in police cars for safety.

Smith said it is still unknown how the suspect evaded the massive manhunt executed by police for 24 hours. She said, since this morning's shooting of the suspect took place in Sunnyvale, that the sherrif's office is allowing Sunnyvale Police to conduct the investigation.

"It's still early in the investigation," she said. "There are a lot of people working on this case right now."

Smith said the three deputies who spotted and shot the suspect this morning all had less than five years' experience on the force. Their names may be released later in the day.

"They were exceptional, great deputies who did a great job at the scene," Smith said.

The three deputies are currently being interviewed by Sunnyvale detectives.

- Pam Marino reporting from the press conference

Related Topics: cupertino shootings, santa clara county sherrif press conference, shareef allman, sherrif laurie smith, and sunnyvale shootings