By Henry K. Lee The San Francisco Chronicle
VALLEJO, Calif. — One of the last 911 calls Vallejo police Officer James Capoot responded to was from an 11-year-old boy who was upset that his father was disciplining him over not doing schoolwork.
Capoot put him on a "straight and narrow path," said Roy Wright, the father of the boy, Justin Wright, who was told by Capoot that his job was to "listen to your parents and do what they say." The officer, who spoke to the boy Wednesday, the night before he was slain allegedly by a bank robbery suspect, also warned the boy not to call 911 over a similar issue again.
"It made quite an impact on my son," said Wright, who along with his son dropped off a bouquet of flowers at the Vallejo Police Department on Friday to honor Capoot. "Since then, his teacher said he’s like a different kid."
Ultimate sacrifice This was one of the stories shared by those who had met or knew the 19-year veteran officer. Friends and co-workers said Capoot, 45, made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the people of Vallejo, but stressed that he was much more than a police officer: He was a devoted family man, a former high school girls’ basketball coach and a mentor to hundreds of local kids.
The remembrances came as police said that a 37-year-old man arrested in Capoot’s slaying is the only suspect in the killing, ending speculation that a second gunman had escaped a police manhunt.
The suspect, Henry Albert Smith of Fairfield, shot Capoot in the backyard of a home on Janice Street about 1:30 p.m. Thursday after robbing a bank and leading police on a chase, said Sgt. Jeff Bassett, a department spokesman.
Smith fired several shots at Capoot, who did not shoot back, Bassett said. He was the first Vallejo officer to be killed in the line of duty since 2000.
The officer was wearing his bullet-resistant vest, police said. The bullet that killed him was not one that penetrated the vest, Bassett said, but he would not elaborate on Capoot’s injuries.
Other officers spotted Smith after the shooting, trying to get into a home on Janice Street, police said. They stunned him with a Taser shock weapon, found his handgun and arrested him, Bassett said.
Officers from throughout the region then conducted a search for a possible second suspect before concluding Thursday night that Smith had acted alone, Bassett said. Smith was booked at Solano County Jail on suspicion of murder and bank robbery. Smith, who was once convicted on felony weapons charges, filed for bankruptcy in April, claiming liabilities of more than $500,000, records show. He was released from bankruptcy in August.
Death penalty Solano County District Attorney Donald du Bain said Smith could face a charge of murder with the special circumstance of murdering a police officer, which could carry the death penalty. Smith is due in court Monday.
A camera in Capoot’s patrol car captured the 5-mile chase from the Bank of America at the Springstowne Center on Springs Road to the residential neighborhood north of Highway 37 where Capoot forced the fleeing SUV to come to a halt.
The camera did not record the shooting, which happened after the suspect jumped from the SUV and ran into the neighborhood with Capoot in pursuit, Bassett said.
‘Coach Jim’ The sergeant struggled to control his emotion as he talked about Capoot, a Vacaville resident who was married, had daughters who are 17, 19 and 22, and coached the girls’ basketball team at Vallejo High School for several years. Funeral arrangements are pending.
"We’re going to do the best we can," Bassett said. "It’s tough for many of us, and especially for his family. Nobody’s hurting more than them right now."
On the Vallejo High campus, students knew Capoot as "Coach Jim," who helped shepherd the Lady Apaches to a section championship last year. Flags on campus were at half-staff Friday.
"He was a true champion for his community," said Principal Clarence Isadore. "When you have to go into another zone outside your career, that’s huge. For him to take on a separate issue of being a basketball coach and have the time, that’s truly tremendous."
Growing memorial A mile away at Vallejo police headquarters, well-wishers added to a memorial. Former Vallejo High basketball player Allessandra Jefferson left behind her Apache jersey, on which she wrote, "Thanks for everything. You will always be remembered in my family."
During his career, Capoot oversaw the junior safety patrol program, helping to train hundreds of students to act as crossing guards.
Elmo Caldwell, 17, was one of them. Now a senior at Vallejo High, Caldwell said, "He was a good person, a respectful person. I looked up to him."
Alicia Ashorn, a longtime friend of the officer, recalled when Capoot offered to look after her son, Justin, after she was jailed for forgery more than a decade ago.
"When you go to jail and have a young child, they think police are bad because they took his mommy away," said Ashorn, 40. "And Jim, he just loved" Justin.
Whenever the officer saw the little boy, he’d let him sit on his police motorcycle, Ashorn said.
Justin Ashorn, now 15, said, "He’s not an average cop. He would reach out to everyone in Vallejo."
Capoot received numerous commendations, including the department’s first Jeff Azuar Officer of the Year award in 2000, named after the last officer in Vallejo to be killed in the line of duty.
Copyright 2011 San Francisco Chronicle
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