Man shot to death during confrontation with Hayward police identified
Police have not released video footage captured from the officers' body-worn cameras.
HAYWARD — Police on Thursday identified a man their officers shot to death earlier this month.
Antonio Lacunas Escobar, 37, of Hayward, died Sept. 6 at a hospital after being rushed there following the confrontation about 10 p.m. in the 2200 block of City Center Drive. Police later found a BB gun at the scene following eyewitness accounts that the man appeared to pull a gun on the officers.
Authorities earlier this week said Officers Alexander Robinson and Dominic Espino fired their guns during the incident. A third officer who didn’t fire his gun also was part of the police response.
Robinson and Espino each have about five years of experience with the department, according to acting Police Chief Bryan Matthews. Both have returned to work following a period of paid administrative leave, according to the department.
Police spokesperson Cassondra Fovel said the time it took to identify the man publicly came because of the time it took to complete his autopsy and to find his relatives. She also said investigative concerns were part of the equation.
Police have not yet released video footage from body cameras worn by Robinson and Espino.
According to Matthews, police encountered a man who had left the area after reportedly pulling a gun at at least one person. The man then acted confrontationally and walked away from police, he said. He added that at least one witness told them that the man then pulled a gun.
The fatal police shooting was the second involving the department in the past 11 months. Officers shot to death 20-year-old Xavier Benson, of Oakland, on Oct. 24, 2022 after a pursuit from an apartment complex into an unincorporated Alameda County roadway.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the more recent shooting along with an outside agency that will determined whether the officers acted within department policy.