Three incidents, three states, 72 hours. Two officers shot, two run down by a stolen car, and a sheriff’s deputy hurt alongside them. Richmond, California. Greenville County, South Carolina. Bel Air, Maryland.
No video has been released in any of the three. In two of them, no officer fired a shot.
Richmond, California — Shot on a Mental Health Escort
Richmond Police Department · Incident Thursday, September 3, 2026, about 6:45 p.m. · Reported the same evening, with updates through September 5.
A3, Contra Costa County’s behavioral health crisis response team, asked for a police escort on a mental health check at a home on Key Boulevard, near the El Cerrito city line. The officer was hit by gunfire almost immediately on arrival.
The suspect barricaded inside the house and fired numerous rounds, striking a patrol vehicle and neighboring homes. Nobody else was hit. Officers deployed chemical agents and negotiators responded. She walked out and was taken into custody about 8:45 p.m. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, East Bay Regional Park District Police and El Cerrito Police assisted.
The officer, a veteran of the department, was transported in stable condition and was expected to survive. Richmond police said the injuries were not life-threatening. The officer was hospitalized overnight and released Friday afternoon. No officer fired. “None of our officers discharged their firearms,” Lt. Joseph England said. Jasmine Robinson, 39, of Richmond, is held on $500,000 bail on charges of attempted murder, assault with an assault weapon and kidnapping.
Free — the opening chapterUnits Are SurroundedFive shootings in five months between members of the Soboba Indian Reservation and law enforcement in the Hemet area of Riverside County. My story about being in the middle of it. The full book is coming.Read how it starts
Greenville County, South Carolina — Two Exchanges of Gunfire
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office · Incident Friday, September 4, 2026, about 3:40 a.m. · Reported the same morning.
A deputy encountered a man displaying a firearm at Page Drive and White Horse Road. Gunfire was exchanged and the man ran into a nearby field. A second deputy arrived, and there was a further exchange of gunfire.
The man was struck in the leg and taken into custody. A deputy was shot in the shoulder, according to the State Law Enforcement Division, and officials said the deputy is expected to make a full recovery. Walter Jason Smith, 42, faces two counts of attempted murder, possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person convicted of a violent offense, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. SLED is conducting the investigation as a third party and the 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office will prosecute. The deputies are on paid administrative leave. The sheriff’s office has scheduled a Critical Incident Community Briefing video for October 18.
Bel Air, Maryland — A Stolen Car Driven Into Officers
Bel Air Police Department and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office · Incident Saturday, September 5, 2026, shortly after 2 p.m. · Reported the same day, with updates September 6.
Officers found a reported stolen vehicle with two people in it in a Raising Cane’s parking lot. The passenger had gone inside the restaurant. As officers moved in, the driver accelerated and struck two officers who were standing outside their vehicles, then hit multiple law enforcement vehicles on the way out of the lot.
A pursuit followed. The driver abandoned the vehicle in the Jarrettsville area, ran, and was taken into custody. One Bel Air officer was transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center with injuries authorities described as not life-threatening. A second Bel Air officer was treated at a local hospital; the nature of that injury has not been released. A Harford County deputy sustained minor injuries and was not hospitalized.
The driver is charged as “John Doe” and has refused to identify himself. The charges are two counts of attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, hit-and-run offenses, malicious destruction of property and multiple traffic violations. Janay Ellenore Morrison, 18, of Baltimore County, is charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest. No officer fired.
What Has Not Been Released
None of the five officers has been named, and no agency released years of service. The investigations in Richmond and Bel Air remain open, and SLED has not ruled on the Greenville County shooting.
Units Are Surrounded
The new book from Ray Dietrich. Five shootings in five months in Riverside County. The full book is coming - read how it starts, free.
