Attempted murder charge for suspect shot by CHP

(08-21) 18:00 PDT OAKLAND -- A man who allegedly fled the scene of a hit-and-run crash - that paralyzed a motorcyclist - before being shot by a California Highway Patrol officer near the Caldecott Tunnel has been charged with attempted murder, authorities said Wednesday.

David Alcairo, 32, of Concord struck and severely wounded motorcyclist Richard Fletcher, 47, of Antioch on Friday on Highway 24 west of the tunnel in Oakland, causing him to be paralyzed, according to Alameda County prosecutors. Alcairo has been charged with premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem and felony hit-and-run.

An off-duty federal law enforcement officer saw Alcairo fleeing the scene and notified the CHP, and an officer spotted Alcairo in a Honda parked on Wilder Road just off the highway east of the tunnel, investigators said.

After contacting Alcairo, the unidentified officer "feared for his life and discharged his firearm" at Alcairo after the suspect approached the officer "in an aggressive manner and refused to comply with orders," said Jimmy Lee, a Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman.

Alcairo, also known as Bowin Alcairo David, suffered a non-life-threatening wound and is being treated at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Once he is released from the hospital, he will be booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, authorities said.

According to a website started by Fletcher's family, he suffered a broken back and damage to his spinal cord. He cannot move or feel his extremities and "may not be able to walk again," the website said.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee