Antioch cops cleared in fatal shooting last summer

ANTIOCH — Three officers have been cleared in the fatal shooting of a man armed with a knife last year in Antioch, prosecutors said.

In a report issued Friday, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said the officers’ use of force “was reasonable under the circumstances.” David Wali Bahrami, 26, was shot multiple times in the chest, arms and legs, and died at the scene.

“The officers acted in lawful self defense/defense-of-others in response to an exigent situation where the officers on scene were in imminent danger of suffering great bodily injury,” the report stated.

The officers were identified in the report as Marcos Molina, Alejandro Lorono and Jake Merrill.

Officers gathered four blocks from Bahrami’s home in the 3800 block of Osprey Drive on June 30, 2025, after he called 911 several times and told dispatchers he was going to kill someone. Bahrami had a history of mental illness, prosecutors said.

According to the report, officers spoke with Bahrami over the phone and tried to de-escalate the situation. When he threatened to kill a neighbor if officers did not come to his residence, they asked him to step outside to draw him away from family members still inside the home.

Bahrami left the residence and walked toward the officers, who had moved to a location four houses away. They ordered him to stop and get on his knees, but he instead pulled a large kitchen knife from his waistband and began running toward them, prosecutors said.

Molina fired a single less-lethal round from a 40mm launcher, but it had no effect on Bahrami, who continued running in a semi-circular path. Bahrami then changed directions and ran toward the officers with the knife in his hand, according to the report.

When he was 15 to 20 feet away, Lorono and Merrill fired their guns a total of 20 times, prosecutors said.

Bahrami was hit by the gunfire and fell to the ground with the knife still in his hands.

According to the report, Baharami ignored orders to drop the knife. Molina fired a second less-lethal round at Bahrami, who continued to hold the knife until Molina kicked it away.

“When confronted with an armed individual, Antioch officers elected to use less-lethal force,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. “Officers resorted to lethal force only when Bahrami continued to wield his knife in direct proximity to the officers.”