A man wanted in the fatal shooting of a Northern California police officer Tuesday night was later found dead on his apartment balcony, police said Wednesday morning on social media. “Suspect located on the balcony of his residence deceased from a gunshot wound,” the San Jose Police Department said in a statement.

It was unclear whether the wound was self-inflicted.

Suspect located on the balcony of his residence deceased from a gunshot wound. — San Jose Police Dept (@SanJosePD) March 25, 2015

A manhunt had been underway for the suspect since late Tuesday after a veteran San Jose police officer was killed while responding to a call about a suicidal man. As of 11 p.m. local time, police chief Larry Esquivel said investigators believed the suspect, identified as 57-year-old Scott Dunham, was alone and holed up in his apartment.

Earlier in the evening, police had gotten a call about a man who was “despondent, intoxicated and possibly had access to weapons, including a rifle,” Esquivel said at a news conference. When police arrived at the residence, one officer reported that a man had walked out onto an apartment balcony, the San Jose Mercury News reported, citing a dispatch recording. Moments later, the man allegedly fired shots at the officers with a high-powered rifle, fatally wounding Johnson.

Fellow officers returned fire, though Esquivel said, it was unclear whether the suspect was hit.

San Jose police requested backup from several area police agencies, including Santa Clara and Sunnyvale police, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol, according to the newspaper. Officers responded. Streets were closed down and homes were evacuated as armored vehicles and a police helicopter were called in to help in the search.

Police were heard shouting, “there is a man with a high-powered rifle who may be pointing it at you right now. You may be in the line of fire,” according to NBC Bay Area.



Law enforcement officers have an area blocked off as they search for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a San Jose police officer on March 24. Authorities say the officer was shot to death after responding to a call about a man threatening to kill himself. The San Jose Police Department says responding officers were met with gunfire. (Josie Lepe/San Jose Mercury News via AP)

“This has been San Jose’s darkest hour. Our hearts go out to the family, friends and colleagues of the fallen officer,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said during the news conference. “This strikes the heart of all of us in San Jose and throughout the region.”

Johnson’s death marks the first on-duty death in 14 years in the San Jose Police Department. In 2001, 24-year-old rookie officer Jeffrey Fontana was shot and killed during a traffic stop in South San Jose, authorities said. Johnson and Fontana were in the same police academy class, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

[This story has been updated.]