Two Cloverdale officers identified in fatal shooting of prowling suspect

A Cloverdale sergeant with 18 years of experience and a patrol officer with nine years on the police force were identified Tuesday as the uniformed officers who shot and killed a prowling suspect Saturday.

Acting Sgt. John Camara and Officer Jim Strattan fired the fatal shots after they entered a fenced-in backyard on the 100 block of Garden Circle Way to confront a reported prowler just before 2 a.m., Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons said.

Camara and Strattan were among five Cloverdale police to respond to the call from a resident that a man with a hammer was snooping around his elderly neighbors’ backyard, Lyons said.

Camara, Strattan and another, unnamed officer entered the backyard to confront the suspect, later identified as Victor Gonzalez Gonzalez, 44 of Cloverdale.

Gonzalez did not respond to commands to drop the hammer and raised it in a “threatening manner as he quickly walked toward the officers,” Petaluma police said in their initial report.

“Fearing for their safety” the two officers - Camara and Strattan - shot and killed Gonzalez, police said. Both officers were wearing body cameras at the time of the shooting, Lyons said. The other officer, whose name was withheld, did not fire his weapon.

A Petaluma police sergeant at the scene on Saturday confirmed neighbors’ reports that at least six shots were fired. Lyon said he could not specify the exact number of shots until the autopsy and investigation are complete.

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