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Sheriff Says Object Resembled a Gun in Deputies’ Killing of East Bay Musician Under State Review

The attorney general’s office is reviewing the case under the law for unarmed civilian deaths after a 911 call in which Anthony Anderson reported wanting to kill people.

Overview

  • Alameda County officials say Anthony Anderson called 911 around 3:19 a.m. Monday, claimed he had a gun, said he wanted to go on a “killing rampage,” and requested law enforcement at his Selborne Drive home.
  • Deputies reported that Anderson exited the residence and posed an immediate threat; two deputies fired, rendered aid, and he was later pronounced dead.
  • The sheriff’s office said the object Anderson pointed “was designed to resemble a firearm,” while video shows him pointing an object and neighbors said investigators later identified it as a pipe.
  • The California Department of Justice has opened an independent investigation led by Attorney General Rob Bonta under the statute covering law enforcement killings of unarmed civilians.
  • Friends and family mourned the 40-year-old trumpeter known as “Anthony Ant,” with a Thursday night tribute at Berkeley’s Starry Plough, and his mother said he had been struggling with depression.