When the officers responded, no serious injuries were found in Gill and it appeared that he had been shot only once in his body camera, which was destroyed, the statement said. Gill’s report triggered a hunt for the alleged sniper, according to the statement.
Gill told police officers that “he had parked on the shoulder to urinate during a routine patrol. While walking back to the driver’s side of his vehicle, he was shot by the passenger in a silver sedan that turned off the lights as he approached him. “
An investigation found evidence that “exposed serious discrepancies in the deputy’s report,” the statement said. Gill was arrested on Friday after a warrant was issued and charged with vandalism and false reporting of a crime, a misdemeanor, the statement said.
Gill, 27, has been placed on administrative leave pending criminal and administrative investigations, according to the sheriff’s office.
Gill’s lawyer, Nicole Pifari, issued a brief statement that said, “For now, all I can say is that we are eager to get our hands on the investigation and the evidence to understand why these charges are being made.”
CNN contacted the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
According to the sheriff’s office website, Gill has a hearing scheduled for Monday.
“This case is disconcerting and deeply disappointing,” prosecutor Jeff Rosen said in the statement. “Mr Gill’s actions have abused the trust of his fellow police officers and diverted public security resources from protecting the community to investigate an invented crime.”
Gill has been in the sheriff’s office since 2016, according to the statement.