A veteran San Jose police officer was shot and killed Tuesday night, spawning the shutdown of several blocks of the Northern California city as police sought to apprehend the suspected gunman who remains at-large, authorities said. 
 
 The incident began about 6:50 p.m., when officers arrived at an apartment complex in east San Jose on reports that a man, later identified as Scott Dunham, was drunk, despondent and possibly armed, San Jose Police Chief Larry Esquivel said. 
 
 UPDATE: San Jose police officer killed; suspected gunman found dead hours later 
 
 Because Dunham, 57, had access to weapons, including a rifle, the family member feared he may harm someone. 
 
 As San Jose police officers approached Dunham's apartment complex, police say Dunham opened fire, possibly from a porch or patio. 
 
 The bullets struck an officer, a 12-year veteran of the police department, who died at the scene. 
 
 Scott Dunham San Jose Police Department Suspect Scott Dunham, 57, was found dead in his home. Suspect Scott Dunham, 57, was found dead in his home. (San Jose Police Department) 
 
 Several officers returned fire, and it's unknown if Dunham was struck, Esquivel said. 
 
 "This is a difficult day for us and our community," Esquivel said. "I can assure you that the person responsible for this act will be apprehended." 
 
 Multiple law enforcement agencies, including dozens of police officers, have responded to the shooting scene. 
 
 As of late Tuesday, Dunham, a married resident of San Jose, was believed to be inside the apartment, Esquivel said. Police are in contact with his wife, who is not inside the apartment. 
 
 Before proceeding to detain Dunham, police were evacuating nearby residents. 
 
 Officer Killed in San Jose Nhat V. Meyer / Associated Press San Jose police Chief Larry Esquivel, center, speaks at a news conference. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is at right. San Jose police Chief Larry Esquivel, center, speaks at a news conference. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is at right. (Nhat V. Meyer / Associated Press) 
 
 "This has been San Jose’s darkest hour," said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, noting that he had met with the family of the dead officer. 
 
 The idenity of the slain officer would not be released until the family was given "proper notification," Esquivel said. 
 
 The officer is the 12th San Jose Police Department officer to be killed in the line of duty since the department's founding in 1849 and the first to be killed since 2001. 
 
 The last San Jose police officer to die on the job was Officer Jeffrey Fontana, a 24-year-old rookie with the department who was fatally shot on Oct. 28, 2001, according to the department. 
 
 For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno. ||||| San Jose police officer shot to death 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Image 1 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 2 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 3 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 4 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 5 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 6 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 7 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 8 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 9 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 10 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 11 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 12 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 13 of 17 The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. The scene where reports say a San Jose police officer was fatally shot near the intersection of Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 14 of 17 near the incident scene on Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. near the incident scene on Senter and Umbarger roads, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 15 of 17 Scott Dunham, 57, suspected in the shooting death of a San Jose police officer on Tuesday. Scott Dunham, 57, suspected in the shooting death of a San Jose police officer on Tuesday. Photo: San Jose Police Department / Courtesy Of San Jose Police Depa Image 16 of 17 San Jose police chief Larry Esquivel (left) speaks to the press as Mayor Sam Liccardo stands behind him following the shooting death of a San Jose police officer earlier today, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. San Jose police chief Larry Esquivel (left) speaks to the press as Mayor Sam Liccardo stands behind him following the shooting death of a San Jose police officer earlier today, Tuesday, March 24, 2015, in San ... more Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 17 of 17 San Jose police officer shot to death 1 / 17 Back to Gallery 
 
 A veteran San Jose police officer was shot and killed Tuesday night by a suicidal man apparently wielding a high-powered rifle, authorities said. 
 
 The shooting of Officer Michael Johnson — the first killing of a San Jose officer in 14 years — drew a massive police response as officers tried to contain the suspect, Scott Dunham, 57, who was believed to be still inside his apartment hours after he allegedly killed the officer. Police said other officers returned fire, possibly striking Dunham. 
 
 As police evacuated nearby homes and sought to confirm the suspect’s condition, messages of sympathy for the fallen officer quickly spread on social media. Many police agencies posted images on Twitter of badges wrapped in black bands and a thin blue line against a black backdrop, symbols of law-enforcement in mourning. 
 
 “As a chief, this is not something that we would ever want to do,” a somber Police Chief Larry Esquivel said at a late-night news conference. “It’s a sad day today for law enforcement and for the Police Department and our community.” 
 
 The chief said, “I can assure you and assure the community that this investigation will continue until this person is apprehended.” He lambasted the suspect for having “the nerve, the audacity” to shoot at police. 
 
 San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said, “This has been San Jose’s darkest hour. Our hearts go out to the family, the friends and colleagues of the fallen officer. This strikes at the heart of all of us here in San Jose and throughout the region.” The mayor said he had visited the family of the slain officer, who was engaged to be married. 
 
 The incident happened about 7:08 p.m. about 20 minutes after officers were called to investigate reports that Dunham was intoxicated and had a gun to his head at an apartment on the 2600 block of Senter Road, near Umbarger Road, and was threatening to commit suicide. 
 
 Police were asked to do a welfare check on Dunham, who reportedly threatened his wife and said he would kill her if “she didn’t leave,” the police dispatcher told officers responding to the call. The woman left the apartment and called one of her children, who called police. 
 
 Officers had taken up positions around the apartment when the shooting erupted. 
 
 The man shot Johnson while apparently standing on a balcony, police said. 
 
 “Officer down! Officer down!” an officer said on the police radio. 
 
 “We have multiple shots being fired,” another officer reported. 
 
 Johnson died at the scene. He served as a field training officer but wasn’t with a rookie at the time, police said. 
 
 The shooting brought scores of officers from numerous agencies to the scene. A meeting of the San Jose City Council was abruptly adjourned shortly after the shooting. 
 
 Dunham’s wife told police that besides the rifle, he was known to be armed with at least two handguns and ammunition. Calls to phone numbers listed for the couple were not answered. 
 
 Officers with rifles took up positions in the area. SWAT officers and armored vehicles were also being called in. 
 
 A California Highway Patrol helicopter was assisting officers. 
 
 The last fatal shooting of an officer in the Bay Area was in January 2014, when BART police Sgt. Tom “Tommy” Smith was shot and killed by another BART detective who had mistaken him for an armed suspect during a search of a Dublin apartment. 
 
 The last San Jose officer to be killed in the line of duty was Jeffrey Fontana, who was shot and killed in 2001 by a man who was later sentenced to life in prison. Johnson had been in the same academy class as Fontana. 
 
 The slaying of the officer Tuesday comes as the department is grappling with an exodus of officers amid budget cuts and a political battle over pension reform. 
 
 Henry K. Lee, Erin Allday and Emily Green are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com, eallday@sfchronicle.com and egreen@sfchronicle.om 
 
 Twitter: @henryklee @erinallday @emilytgreen ||||| SJPD Fallen Officers 
 
 Officer Jeffrey Fontana 1977 - 2001 Killed in the Line of Duty October 28, 2001 We Honor the Sacrifice He Made 
 
 A San Jose police officer was gunned down early Sunday morning at the end of a quiet Almaden Valley cul-de-sac, prompting a day long search that resulted in one person being detained for questioning. 
 
 
 
 Officer Jeff Fontana, 24, of Woodside, is the first San Jose police officer killed by gunfire in the line of duty in more than 12 years. He was shot on Calle Almaden at about 4:30 a.m. Residents who live on the street of well-kept, relatively new homes near Lake Almaden said there had been a recent string of car break-ins in their normally tranquil neighborhood. Police officials, who provided few details, would not disclose why Fontana was at the cul-de-sac and declined to comment on whether he had been alone for two weeks. 
 
 Police were searching for two suspects and said they had a number of strong leads. But sources could not say if the person who was detained was one of those suspects. At a news conference attended by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, Police Chief Bill Landsdowne confirmed Fontana’s death, the first officer killed in the line of duty in two years, and the first slain by gunfire since a 1989 downtown shootout that left two officers dead. Fontana, who worked as a volunteer in community policing centers before joining the force a year ago, had completed a customary 16-week training program before assuming solo patrol duty. Police would not disclose whether Fontana contacted dispatchers before the shooting to report his location or the nature of his investigation. 
 
 
 
 But one San Jose police official said Fontana apparently was caught off-guard. Chief Landsdowne said it was not unusual for officers to patrol on their own, as Fontana was at the time of the shooting. The Almaden Valley neighborhood was Fontana’s regular patrol area. 
 
 
 
 Calle Almaden and nearby streets were overrun in the pre-dawn hours by rie-toting officers in combat fatigues, police dogs and police helicopters searching for the killer. Neighbors reported that police were searching bushes and back yards for a weapon. At the home of Fontana’s parents, San Jose officers guarded the entrance and the grieving family’s privacy, keeping unwanted visitors away. Fontana’s death shook the department’s ranks, said Jeff Ricketts, a San Jose Police Officers Association official. “Everyone’s pretty much in shock. You just don’t think something like this is going to happen,” Ricketts said. “From everyone’s estimation he was a good, young police officer that loved to be a cop and wanted to be a cop” said Assistant Chief Tom Wheatley. “He was out on his own doing the things all cops want to do all their lives.” 
 
 
 
 Fontana is the eighth San Jose police officer slain in the line of duty. A makeshift memorial of owers, candles and an American flag was placed on Calle Almaden just a few feet from where Fontana was shot. A note attached to one flower arrangement said, “Your sacrifice and what you stood for as ” Several neighbors said they heard the gunshot and ran outside to discover the officer lying in the street near the suspect’s car, which was left in the driveway of a house at the end of the cul-de-sac. The neighbor who reported the shooting to police was visibly angry on Sunday as news crews jammed the cul-de-sac and declined to speak to reporters. But others described a chaotic scene as police arrived in the darkness, searching through back yards with police dogs. Kimberly Brady, who lives on the street, snapped photographs of the scene, which showed detectives and members of the department’s special weapons and tactics team, dressed in combat fatigues, filling the street in the aftermath of the shooting. 
 
 The San Jose Police Department has not lost an officer in the line of duty since 1999, when officer Desmond Casey was killed piloting a police helicopter. The last San Jose officers killed by gunfire were Gordon Silva and Gene Simpson, who died during a downtown shootout in 1989. "We only hope we can restore our community where these kinds of acts of violence will not take place in the future,” Mayor Gonzales said. 
 
 
 
 On 10-28-01 at 4:35AM, San Jose Police Communications received a call from a citizen on Calle Almaden reporting an officer down on the street outside their residence. Officers responded and found Officer Fontana lying in the roadway suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Paramedics attempted to revive Jeffrey, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are still attempting to determine what led to this shooting. It appears that Jeff had stopped the vehicle and was shot during his approach. The suspect(s) fled the scene, but Homicide Investigators have developed sufficient information to charge suspect DeShawn Campbell with murder in this case. The suspect is also wanted for two outstanding felony warrants. 
 
 ||||| SAN JOSE -- A 14-year veteran San Jose police officer was killed Tuesday evening in a dramatic series of events that began with a call about a suicidal man and ended when police used explosives and a robot to breach the suspect's apartment, but found him dead. 
 
 The killing of Officer Michael Johnson was the department's first line-of-duty death in 14 years. He was fatally wounded as he responded to an apartment complex in the 2600 block of Senter Road around 6:48 p.m. Tuesday. 
 
 Johnson was the 12th SJPD officer killed in the department's 166-year history. He was a field training officer at the time of his death. 
 
 Now, the SJPD community is reeling from an experience it has been spared from for nearly a decade and a half: mourning the loss of a comrade who gave his life to protecting the public. 
 
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 "Officers are obviously crying, grieving, they will obviously do so for some time. Our hearts, our prayers go out with the family of Michael, our brother. This is a very difficult time right now," police spokesman Officer Albert Morales said early Wednesday. "Rest assured we'll keep him in our memories as we go out there and continue to do the job we loved to do and I'm sure that he loved to do." 
 
 Adding to the heartache was the fact Johnson came from the same police academy class as Jeffrey Fontana, the last officer killed in the line of duty. Fontana was in his rookie year on the force when he was shot to death during a high-risk vehicle stop in South San Jose on October 28, 2001. 
 
 "As a chief this is not something we would ever want to do," San Jose police Chief Larry Esquivel said at a news conference late Tuesday. "It's a sad day for law enforcement and for the police department and the community." 
 
 A statement from the San Jose Police Officers Association said all officers were grieving for Johnson, who leaves behind a wife. 
 
 "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johnson's family and friends," the union said. "(Johnson) was tragically struck down in the prime of his life protecting and serving the residents of San Jose." 
 
 Mayor Sam Liccardo, who added that he offered condolences to the slain officer's family on behalf of the city, said, "This is San Jose's darkest hour. This strikes the heart of all of us in San Jose and throughout the region." 
 
 Police identified the suspect in Johnson's slaying late Tuesday as Scott Dunham, 57. Officials launched a massive manhunt after the attack with a detail consisting of dozens of officers and the MERGE (SWAT) unit, who all swarmed the area of Senter and Umbarger roads to find the gunman. 
 
 Nearby homes were evacuated as officers and equipment -- including armored vehicles and a helicopter -- were summoned from neighboring police agencies, including the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale police, and the California Highway Patrol. 
 
 Share condolences Read and sign the online memorial book for Michael Johnson. 
 
 The manhunt continued for hours, with police eventually converging on the building that housed Dunham's apartment. Officials said around 11 p.m. that they believed that Dunham might still be inside the apartment, but they were also chasing down leads that indicated he might be elsewhere. 
 
 Police breached his apartment using explosives around 1:30 a.m., then began a slow, exhaustive search using a robot with a camera. Officers at the scene confirmed that Dunham had been found dead on the apartment's balcony shortly before 3:30 a.m. 
 
 Scott Dunham (SAN JOSE POLICE) 
 
 It was not immediately clear how Dunham had died, though police said he had suffered at least one gunshot wound. Police reported earlier that he may have been wounded during the exchange of gunfire that killed Johnson. Esquivel acknowledged the possibility that Dunham might have been dead for most of the standoff, as officers never made contact with him after the initial clash, and there was no subsequent gunfire. 
 
 San Jose officers were initially called at 6:48 p.m. Tuesday by a female family member who said that Dunham was intoxicated, despondent and possibly meant to harm himself or others, Esquivel said. As the officers approached the apartment building on Senter Road and spotted a person on a balcony, they were fired upon without warning. 
 
 Police dispatch recordings show that officers told dispatchers they believed the man they were searching for had one or two handguns in the apartment. 
 
 At one point, as they approach the apartment, an officer says "we have movement from the blinds at the apartment." 
 
 An officer calmly reports that a male has stepped out onto the balcony, describing him as having gray hair, a gray mustache and a black T-shirt. Seconds later, the "shots fired" call can be heard, followed almost immediately by the "officer down" call. 
 
 Dispatchers immediately called for the area to be secured and put out a citywide call for assistance. Another officer reported that shots were fired at the suspect, and that he possibly "went down as well." Esquivel confirmed the gunfire exchange and the possibility that Dunham was wounded. 
 
 "This person had the nerve, the audacity, to shoot at our officers who were on a call for assistance," Esquivel said. 
 
 An outpouring of grief flowed from both members of the public and law enforcement agencies throughout California and across the nation Tuesday night. Hundreds of social media users sent their condolences to San Jose police through the department's Twitter account. 
 
 "It's extremely painful and shocking," said Councilman Tam Nguyen, who represents District 7, where the shooting occurred. "I'm worried for the safety of other officers." 
 
 Staff writers Eric Kurhi and Mark Gomez contributed to this report.
– A San Jose cop died last night, apparently at the hands of a suicidal gunman, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, in the California city's first fatal shooting of an officer in 14 years. Michael Johnson, a field training officer reportedly engaged to be married, was responding to a call that suspect Scott Dunham was drunk and threatening to kill himself. As officers surrounded the apartment where Dunham was holed up, a man on the balcony opened fire shortly after 7pm; Johnson was struck and died on the scene. Police gained entrance to the apartment a few hours later using explosives, and a robotic camera found Dunham's body on the balcony around 3:30am, the San Jose Mercury News reports. San Jose's last officer to die in the line of duty, Jeffrey Fontana in 2001, was said to have been in the same police academy class as Johnson. Dunham's wife—who had earlier fled the apartment after he reportedly said she would die if "she didn't leave," per the Chronicle—had informed police that the 57-year-old had access to weapons, including a rifle, and might harm himself or others, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dunham reportedly suffered one gunshot wound, police say, though it's not clear yet if it was self-inflicted or if he was injured by police gunfire, the Mercury News notes. "This is San Jose's darkest hour," Mayor Sam Liccardo said last night, per the Times. Tragedy also struck law enforcement last night in Wisconsin, per the Fond du Lac Reporter: A state trooper was shot and killed during a gunfire exchange with a bank robbery suspect.