TWO OFFICERS NAMED IN DANVILLE SHOOTING

The Pair Killed A San Ramon Man When He Allegedly Drew A Gun After A
Traffic Stop Monday

DANVILLE -- Police on Wednesday released the names of two officers who shot
and killed a man who allegedly pulled a gun on them late Monday night and
stood behind the pair's response to what started out as a routine traffic stop.

Danville Police Chief Greg Gilbert said investigators still don't know why
Stephen Louis Vidovich III, 20, of San Ramon reacted the way he did at
11:41 p.m. Monday.

"It appears ... that the officers were justified in their actions and
responded at the appropriate level" of force, Gilbert said.

The Vidovich family declined to comment again Wednesday but made a gesture
in an obituary sent to the Times that police say speaks volumes about a
young life marked by arrests and violence. The family asks that in lieu of
flowers, donations be sent to the San Ramon Police Department's Drug Abuse
Resistance Education program.

"I was real surprised ... I feel badly for the family," San Ramon Police
Chief Brian Lindblom said. "I think they're making a statement about the
value of DARE, and perhaps it's a reflection of how important DARE was to
their lives, or how important they feel it should have been."

Vidovich, who had been arrested by San Ramon police three times since 1999
and who watched a friend die during a 1999 stabbing, was shot 12 times by
police after he allegedly pointed a loaded .40-caliber semi- automatic
weapon at them in a Danville gas station.

Officer Dave Adams, a 10-year veteran of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's
Office, and Officer Robert Roberts, a seven-year veteran, were together in
a patrol car when they noticed that Vidovich's 1986 Chevrolet Camaro,
heading south on San Ramon Valley Boulevard, had expired tags.

Vidovich was making a call on a pay phone as officers approached. Police
say Vidovich hung up, stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked back to
the car when he saw the officers. Police told him to take his hands out of
his pockets, which he did. They also told him to stop, which he didn't.

Instead, police say, Vidovich got into his car and started it. As the
officers neared the vehicle, both saw Vidovich pointing a gun at them,
Gilbert said. They fired between 15 and 20 shots, according to the county
coroner's office; Vidovich died at the scene. Police have determined that
Vidovich did not fire his weapon.

The weapon police retrieved had been reported stolen from a Livermore
residence. On Wednesday, the sheriff's office denied a published account
that the gun had been stolen from a Livermore police officer.

The officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is
standard practice after an officer-involved shooting, Gilbert said. The
sheriff's office and District Attorney's Office are conducting internal
investigations regarding the incident, and a coroner's inquest will be
scheduled later this year.

A celebration of Vidovich's life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at
Crosswinds Church, 6444 Sierra Court, Dublin. Visitation will be from 2 to
8 p.m. today at Wilson & Kratzer Chapel, 2220 Camino Ramon, Dublin.