On Thursday, Berkeley police for the first time released a recording of the 911 call that preceded the officer-involved shooting in January that left robbery suspect Vincent Bryant wounded in the jaw.
BPD released the new material, an audio recording of the 911 call as well as a transcript of it, in response to a Public Records Request filed by Berkeleyside just after the Jan. 2 shooting. In February, police released bodycam footage from the scene. BPD said it plans to release the rest of the records from the investigation by July 1.
The officer who shot Bryant, Madison Albrandt, was immediately placed on leave as per department protocol. She has now returned to active duty, BPD said.
Before the shooting, Bryant reportedly took food from the downtown Berkeley Walgreens without paying for it and threatened at least one employee with a large chain, according to the 911 call. The employee told police the man “was talking crazy so he might be mental.”
Police found Bryant in the Tang Center courtyard near UC Berkeley and tried to convince him to put down the chain so they could take him into custody, according to bodycam footage from the scene. Police said Albrandt fired her gun at Bryant when he raised the chain and advanced on officers as they shot him with “less-lethal” rounds.
Bryant is facing felony charges in connection with the robbery report.
In February, Bryant’s attorney Adanté D. Pointer filed paperwork announcing plans to sue the city over the shooting. Pointer said police should have spent more time trying to de-escalate the situation and could have fired less-lethal weapons at Bryant from a greater distance to give him more time to comply with their orders.
Pointer said Bryant is now permanently disfigured and required surgery and rehabilitation to regain the use of his mouth. He is seeking damages in excess of $25,000.
The Jan. 2 incident was the first time a Berkeley police officer has shot and wounded a suspect since 2012. Last year, a Berkeley police officer fired her gun at a driver fleeing a robbery scene; she did not hit him but was ultimately fired.
