One of the Richmond officers testifying in civil rights lawsuit breaks down in tears, insisting he only wanted to help Concord nurse Ivan Gutzalenko, who died in 2021 after being restrained and forcibly sedated.
Category: Public Safety
Posted inCommunity
Will ICE be at the Super Bowl?
As Santa Clara prepares to host Super Bowl LX, anxieties about a possible ICE operation in the Bay Area have grown. Here’s what is known.
Posted inPublic Safety
I-80 shooting: Man killed by Richmond detective identified
Luis Angel Torres Rivera, a father of two, was named by the state Department of Justice as the man who was killed on Jan. 22.
Posted inCity
Photos: Richmond swears in 21st police chief
On Thur. Jan. 29, 2026 the city swore in Timothy Simmons as its police chief. Simmons has been with the department for 17 years.
Posted inPublic Safety
Fire extinguishers, bottles reportedly thrown from Richmond’s 6-story BART garage
One man says he was nearly hit on the head this week. The issue has apparently been going on since 2023, and residents and business owners are frustrated that BART hasn’t solved the potentially dangerous problem.
Posted inCommunity
Contra Costa County resident dies after eating wild mushrooms
California is experiencing an
“unprecedented outbreak” of severe illness and deaths associated with people accidentally eating death cap mushrooms.
Posted inPublic Safety
I-80 shooting: Richmond detective kills man who was reportedly threatening cars
Shooting on freeway in Hercules marks the third Richmond officer-involved fatal shooting within less than a year.
Posted inPublic Safety
Victim identified in San Pablo fatal shooting
Clarence Hughes Jr., 36, of Richmond was shot to death Dec. 29 on Rumrill Boulevard, police said.
Posted inPublic Safety
Gun violence in Richmond surged at end of year despite record-low homicides
Acting Police Chief Tim Simmons told the police commission there was a 163% spike in shootings during the last 90 days of 2025.
Posted inPublic Safety
Richmond recorded its lowest ever murder rate in 2025
In 1991 61 people were murdered in Richmond. In 2025 there were five homicides and one justified shooting death. The city’s Office of Neighborhood Safety, a gun violence prevention program that was founded in 2007, has helped save lives.
Posted inPublic Safety
Family identifies IHOP homicide victim
The man, identified as Romario Raso Garcia, was killed at about 1:45 p.m. while working in the kitchen of the Hillltop neighborhood restaurant.
Posted inPublic Safety
Two Richmond men shot in San Pablo. 1 dead, 1 in critical condition
Two Richmond men were shot on Rumrill Boulevard in San Pablo, one fatally — the same day that a homicide victim was found at IHOP in Richmond.
Posted inPublic Safety
UPDATE: Person of interest in IHOP death shoots self at San Pablo police station
San Pablo police said the man approached officers, who couldn’t understand him, and a few minutes later he shot himself in their parking lot.
Posted inPublic Safety
Contra Costa County DA not filing charges in shooting death of 20-year-old
Richmond police say Griffin Hammond of Richmond was shot and killed after he shot someone first outside a convenience store.
Posted inPublic Safety
UPDATE: Richmond’s fifth homicide victim identified
The shooting occurred about a half mile from the Richmond BART station and near several businesses along Macdonald Avenue.
Posted inCity
Richmond police chief shuts down license plate readers after discovering data was searchable
“National search” Flock feature exposed city’s data in February so cameras have been offline for two weeks after incoming Chief Tim Simmons found out.
Posted inPublic Safety
Richmond homicide victim Josue Cornejo remembered as caring, quiet, happy
Police release photo of “person of interest” in Nov. 17 killing where victim was shot in back walking near his home.
Posted inCity
Update: Richmond’s incoming police chief says he expects officers to protect residents like they’re family
Richmond Police Department Assistant Chief Timothy Simmons, who’s worked in the department for 17 years, will become Richmond’s top cop in January, according to a press release.
Posted inCity
Richmond police now have 24 hours after shooting someone to say what happened
City is also hiring a consultant to conduct citywide mental health assessment to improve services, address care gaps.
Posted inPublic Safety
Update: Family of Monday’s fatal shooting victim remember him as ‘humble young man’
In a GoFundMe, family members say 23-year-old Josue Cornejo was the person police said was fatally shot near Marina Way and Bissell Avenue in downtown Richmond.
