Suspect shot by Sonoma State University cop in Cotati named

The man shot twice in the back early Friday morning by a Sonoma State University police officer was a parolee with a history of gang affiliation, and weapons and violent offenses, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

Eduardo Martinez Sanchez, 22, of Santa Rosa, remains in critical condition at a local hospital.

The name of the officer involved in the shooting has not been released. In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office said the officer’s name “will not be released at this time and will not be released until we can be reasonably assured that the officer’s safety isn’t jeopardized.”

SSU officers routinely work with Cotati Police and Rohnert Park Public Safety in their jurisdictions, said Acting SSU Police Chief Dave Dougherty. SSU Police have jurisdiction throughout the state of California - as do all California State University police departments - but primarily operate on campus and a surrounding 1-mile radius, he said. As part of that, the department assigns an officer to downtown Cotati every Thursday to help manage Cotati Crawl partiers.

The shooting of Martinez Sanchez stemmed from an altercation just after popular bar crawl’s closing time about 2 a.m. Friday in downtown Cotati. The crawl attracts people to the five downtown bars, including many Sonoma State University students and people from neighboring cities, said Cotati Police Chief Michael Parish.

Friday morning, the unidentified Sonoma State University Police officer came to the aid of Cotati Police attempting to control a rowdy crowd after closing time. Authorities wouldn’t say Tuesday if the officer involved in the shooting had received the Cotati Crawl assignment that night.

While officers were breaking up a fight, a handful of shots rang out, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Officers took cover believing they were being fired on, but people running away from the shots west on East Cotati Avenue said they were fired by a man beating up a woman.

Witnesses said when they tried to stop the man, whom police believe was Martinez Sanchez, from striking the woman, he allegedly slapped a 20-year-old woman in the face twice, grabbed her by the neck, brandished a gun and threatened to kill her, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Her 24-year-old friend pulled the woman away and the pair ran. It was then Martinez Sanchez allegedly fired shots at the fleeing women but missed, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Officers found four bullet casings on East Cotati Avenue between Charles Street and La Plaza Drive.

Nearly two-and-a-half hours later, the SSU officer saw a man matching the description of Martinez Sanchez emerge from a creek area on the south side of East Cotati Avenue. The officer attempted to detain him and a struggle ensued. The officer fired his Taser and struck the suspect, but Martinez Sanchez was able to flee, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The officer noticed Martinez Sanchez grabbing his waistband as he ran, and when the suspect entered a fenced area at New Hope Church the officer saw a silver object in Martinez Sanchez’s waistband and fired two rounds at him.

Sonoma State University does not issue body cameras to its 14 sworn officers.

A silver semi-automatic handgun found under bushes at the scene was the same caliber as the casings found at the 2 a.m. shooting hours earlier, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Police immediately began administering lifesaving first aid to Martinez Sanchez, the Sheriff’s Office said, and brought him to a local hospital where he has undergone multiple surgeries since.

According to court records, Martinez Sanchez has been in and out of jail since 2013 when he was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon with gang enhancements and sentenced to 16 months in prison. He has been jailed for varying offenses seven times since, court records show.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.