A man carrying what appeared to be a firearm near a Fairfield middle school was shot and injured by officers Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
The Fairfield Police Department said someone first reported the man walking down E. Tabor Avenue near Grange Middle School at around 1:16 p.m.
Officers arrived and found the man on a walking trail north of E. Tabor Avenue, holding what appeared to be a handgun. They ordered him to drop the weapon, according to the department, which led to him pointing it at an officer. One officer then fired and injured the man.
The man, whose injuries police described as “not life-threatening,” was taken to a hospital for treatment.
In a later press release, the department identified him as a 40-year-old Fairfield resident and added that he had been arrested for felony assault on a peace officer.
Police are now investigating the incident. They did clarify that what officers believed to be a firearm was actually a BB gun designed to resemble a handgun.
The nearby middle school was put into lockdown after the initial report, but that status was lifted once police deemed the situation safe. The department said it currently believes the proximity of the school was a coincidence.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
