CSUSB student killed following multiple contacts with police
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.
CSU San Bernardino grad student Bartholomew Williams, 38, of San Bernardino was killed following an altercation with campus police.
The incident happened Saturday when Cal State San Bernardino police officers responded to a disturbance around 6:30 p.m. at the University Village, an off-campus student housing complex located at Northpark Boulevard and University Parkway, across the street from campus.
When three officers arrived on scene, they came across Williams in the hallway of his dorm. The 38-year-old grad student had had two prior contacts Saturday because of his strange behavior. Police say as the three police officers attempted to talk to Williams, his violent behavior began to escalate, sparking an altercation.
Officers attempted to handcuff Williams who police say remained uncooperative. The officers used pepper spray and hit him with a baton but officials say nothing stopped him. At one point, Williams managed to grab the pepper spray and use it against one of the officers. Investigators say he then began to attack another campus police officer.
"The altercation became physical and the subject became violent", said Lt. Paul Williams with the San Bernardino City Police Department, which is now heading up the investigation with help from campus police. "The suspect was able to get one of the officers on the ground, standing up above him, kicking him violently in his body and his head. Officers fearing for that officer's life believe they had no other means than the use of deadly force. They discharged their weapon, striking the subject."
Two officers fired five rounds. The grad student was hit in the upper body and pronounced dead at the scene. Two officers were injured during the incident and were transported to an area hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives say that Williams' family has told them that Williams suffered from mental illness and had recently stopped taking his medication.
The officer involved shooting remains under investigation by the San Bernardino Police Department. The three officers involved are now on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.