NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster disclosed late Thursday that a staff prosecutor has been placed on administrative leave pending further police and internal investigations into his role in a shooting in the early Thursday morning hours in downtown Sacramento.
Deputy District Attorney Damon Gardner shot and wounded another man during a physical confrontation about 12:35 a.m. Thursday outside a hotel near the state Capitol, according to Sacramento police.
Gardner has been off work on medical leave from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office since mid-August, officials reported.
Sacramento Police said Thursday the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. The shooting victim is being treated for non-life threatening injuries at a Sacramento hospital.
Another Mendocino County deputy district attorney, who was attending a continuing legal education seminar in Sacramento, was a witness to the early Thursday morning shooting, according to police.
County records indicate that Gardner had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
While the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office has undertaken its preliminary investigation, Eyster said he will refrain from making any additional comments pending the ongoing investigation by law enforcement authorities in Sacramento.