San Pablo man charged with firing gun 100 yards from school

SAN PABLO — A local resident has been held to answer on charges that he fired a pistol out of his vehicle about 100 yards from a high school.

Erick Rodriguez, 34, was held to answer at a preliminary hearing last week on charges of negligent discharge of a firearm, child endangerment and vandalism. He is set to be arraigned on Tuesday, and a trial date has not yet been set.

Rodriguez was identified from surveillance footage as the man who fired several shots from a Honda near North Campus Continuation High School in San Pablo, prompting a lockdown at the school. The shooting occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 24.

After police identified Rodriguez’s Honda, they interviewed his mother at her San Pablo home. She told them he was the only person with access to the vehicle during the relevant time frame and that he was upset about the recent death of a family dog, authorities said.

Police found a pistol and eight spent shell casings in the Honda. The gun was registered to a dead man in Concord, according to court records.

Rodriguez was released from jail on Nov. 18 and remains out of custody while the case is pending, records show.