Police Brutality / Individual record
Colby Friday
The Washington Post's Fatal Force database records Colby Friday in a fatal on-duty police shooting on 2016-08-16 in Stockton, CA. Individual circumstances and legal outcome require case-specific review.
- Record ID
- PB-498
- Incident date
- August 16, 2016
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Stockton, CA
- Agency
- Stockton Police Department
- Category
- Fatal on-duty police shooting
- Age (reported)
- 30
What happened
Colby Friday, 30, was killed by Stockton Officer David Wells outside Peña's Market on August 16, 2016. Wells approached because Friday resembled another man sought on a domestic-violence warrant. Friday ran and Wells fired thirteen shots during the confrontation. Police said Friday possessed a firearm, while his family pursued civil litigation challenging the pursuit and use of deadly force. In July 2018 San Joaquin County prosecutors concluded that charges would not be filed and described the force as justified. A subsequent federal case examined disputed details and the police's original mistaken identity. Those matters remain relevant even though the district attorney declined prosecution.
Investigation & findings
Individual legal and investigative outcome not yet reviewed.
Washington Post Fatal Force v2; 2015–2024
Source record details
- Source incident ID
- 1791
- Race code in source
- B
- Race source method
- not_available
- Gender (source)
- male
- Armed status (source)
- gun
- Flee status (source)
- foot
- Agency IDs (source)
- 168
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Additional source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology
- Fatal Force v2 — fatal on-duty police shootings, 2015–2024The Washington Post · Dataset