By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com
The man who allegedly shot a California Highway Patrol officer before being fatally shot by an Elk Grove police officer was licensed by the state as a security guard, according to state records available online.
Sacramento County Sheriff's officials today said Richard Bernard Bisbee, 68, was a man whose life seemed to be spiraling out of control to the point that he was potentially suicidal.
At an afternoon press conference, Sgt. Jim Barnes, head of Sacramento County Sheriff's homicide division, said his department is still trying to determine why Bisbee shot the CHP officer, but "It looks like there might have been some sort of emotional breakdown."
He said officials have an undated letter by Bisbee that they described as possibly being a suicide note.
"His life was starting to unfold, and he didn't know how to get out of it," Barnes said, explaining that interviews with friends and family of Bisbee revealed a man who wasn't close to family and who kept to himself.
Sheriff Scott Jones said Bisbee applied for and was issued a permit to carry a concealed weapon in May 2010, during the term of Jones' predecessor, John McGinness.
Bisbee also had a state-issued license to carry a firearm on duty, as well as a permit to carry a baton, Bureau of Security and Investigative Services records show.
Bisbee's three permits were current, and online records show no actions against Bisbee by the state.
To obtain these permits, an applicant must undergo a criminal history background check by the state Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and must complete 40 hours of training, according to BSIS records.
To obtain a firearm permit specifically, an applicant must pass a 14-hour course that covers "moral and legal aspects, firearms nomenclature, weapon handling and shooting fundamentals, emergency procedures and range training," BSIS documents state.
Jones said as soon as they learned that Bisbee had a concealed-weapons permit, authorities from his office pored over it to see if there had been anything overlooked.
"There were no red flags. There were no convictions ... or any police contact locally that would raise any red flags whatsoever," Jones said.
He noted that the handgun for which Bisbee had applied for the permit was not the one he used to shoot CHP officer on Sunday.
It is not clear whether Bisbee, an Elk Grove resident, was employed by a security firm at the time of Sunday's shooting. Efforts by The Bee to reach Bisbee's family have not been successful.
According to authorities, Bisbee was shot and killed after a traffic stop on Highway 99 in Elk Grove went awry.
Bisbee was traveling southbound when a CHP officer pulled him over, said Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos. The officer approached the car on the driver's side, spoke to Bisbee, and then called for backup.
The second CHP officer arrived, and the two again approached the car, Ramos said. The backup officer was standing at the passenger's side window when Bisbee fired at the officer, striking him twice, Ramos said.
As Bisbee fled, the first CHP officer fired at him. It is not yet known whether that officer struck Bisbee, but after a short distance Bisbee apparently lost control of his car and it rolled, coming to rest on its side, Ramos said.
By then, other CHP officers as well as Elk Grove police officers had arrived at the scene. They approached the suspect's vehicle and "gave the man numerous commands to put his hands in the air," Ramos said.
Bisbee, who could be seen moving within the car, did not comply, Ramos said. That refusal, along with his "furtive movements" and officers' belief he had just shot another officer, prompted one Elk Grove officer to fire two rounds into the suspect's vehicle, Ramos said.
Officers retreated from the vehicle and waited for paramedics to arrive. When they arrived, paramedics pronounced Bisbee dead at the scene.
The incident is being investigated by Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives. Sheriff's officials are handling the case because of a memorandum of understanding between the Sheriff's Department and the CHP that sheriff's deputies will investigate crimes committed on highways, even within an incorporated city, Ramos said. The CHP, in term, will handle all traffic violations.
Both the CHP officer who initially made the stop and fired at the suspect and the Elk Grove officer who fired at the suspect have been placed on administrative leave, as is standard practice in officer-involved shootings.
The CHP officer was described as a four-year veteran assigned to the south Sacramento field office. The Elk Grove officer is a patrol officer and has five years of experience.
The CHP officer who was shot was in stable condition this morning. He has been with the CHP less than two years, authorities said.
Steve Lerwill, chief of South Sacramento CHP division, said at today's press conference that the officer is expected to be released from the hospital in a few days. He was shot twice -- in the arm and just below his belt, Lerwill said.
Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Bee staff writer Bill Lindelof contributed to this report.
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