STOCKTON — A man was fatally shot by Stockton police Wednesday morning in north Stockton when he tried to carjack a woman during a foot chase involving the man and two other suspects who slipped away, authorities said.
The shooting occurred about 8:50 a.m. near West Lane and Knickerbocker Drive. The carjacking suspect, 35-year-old Rodney Watts Jr. of Stockton, died at the scene, police said.
Family members gathered near the scene hours after the shooting insisted that Watts was not a violent individual and would not have committed a carjacking. A video posted on YouTube seemed to indicate that Watts was inside the car and driving toward officers. The 58-second video, shot by a motorist who began filming as two officers drew their weapons, showed an officer firing into the driver’s side of a white Infiniti Q45 as the car accelerated toward one of the officers.