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The California Department of Justice announced Sunday that it is opening an investigation into the fatal shooting of a man armed with a fake rifle by Santa Ana police.
Around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Santa Ana police responded to a report of a man loading a rifle near Broadway and Second Avenue, according to the department. After arriving at the scene, two officers shot the man multiple times, said Officer Natalie Garcia, a department spokeswoman.
Police said the man, a 30-year-old Latino, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Details about the shooting, including whether the man pointed a rifle at responding officers, were not released.
Police said the rifle the man was believed to be carrying turned out to be an airsoft gun, a non-lethal replica firearm that fires plastic pellets and is commonly used in games such as paintball. Police said there were no reports of injuries to bystanders or officers in the incident, and a critical incident report is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Monday in California, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced that the California Department of Justice will conduct an independent investigation into the shooting pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506. The department is required to investigate all incidents of police-involved shootings in the state that result in the death of unarmed civilians. state.
After the Department of Justice’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team completes its investigation, the report will be turned over to the Special Prosecutions Division within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Law Division for independent review and possible criminal charges.
Until AB 1506 was signed into law in September 2020, these cases were handled by local law enforcement and district attorney offices.
The purpose of transferring the investigation to the Department of Justice was to increase trust between law enforcement agencies and their jurisdictions by having an independent agency investigate the case and determine potential criminal charges.
Under AB 1506, the Department of Justice is required to release information about investigations and ultimately decisions regarding criminal prosecution. If it is determined that criminal charges are not appropriate, the Department of Justice will provide an explanation of what happened during the incident, why criminal charges were not filed, and recommendations to improve the practices of the law enforcement agencies involved. We plan to publish a report containing this information.
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