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HomeMy WebLinkAbout15. Interview of Dep. Joshua Richardson_Sheldon_Redacted SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 1 of 18 CASE NAME: TAYLOR, DONADONY BLAKE CLASSIFICATION: OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING (FATAL) INTERVIEW OF: JOSHUA RICHARDSON, DEPUTY SHERIFF ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT 550 NORTH FLOWER STREET SANTA ANA, CA 92701 PRESENT: GUS MOROYOQUI, DETECTIVE SANTA ANA POLICE DEPARTMENT DATE AND TIME: 7/2/18 0300 HOURS LOCATION: SANTA ANA POLICE DEPARTMENT On Monday, July 2, 2018, at approximately 0300 hours, Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) Detective GUS MOROYOQUI and I conducted an digital audio recorded interview of Orange County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Joshua Richardson regarding the SAPD officer i nvolved shooting of DONADONY BLAKE TAYLOR. The following is a transcript of the interview: LEGEND: … Denotes pauses between words or phrases, incomplete sentences, Stammering, etc. (Does not indicate missing words). *** Denotes unintelligible conversation. (SIC)Denotes precisely reproduced word. [BEGINNING OF INTERVIEW] SHELDON: This is Investigator BRIAN SHELDON with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. I will be conducting an interview under case number 18-021. Today’s date is 7/2/18, the time is now three-, 0300 hours. I'm at the Santa Ana Police ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW REPORT SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 2 of 18 Department, interview room number three, that’s room number 3140. Present in the interview is? MOROYOQUI: Detective MOROYOQUI, and that’s *** spelled M-O-R-O-Y-O-Q-U-I, badge number 2727, Santa Ana PD, Homicide. SHELDON: And we’ll be interviewing? RICHARDSON: JOSHUA RICHARDSON, R-I-C-H-A-R-D-S-O-N, and, uh, badge number is 2201. SHELDON: Alright. JOSHUA if you could just tell us, in your own words, uh, what transpired earlier this evening? RICHARDSON: So I left, um, the Intake Release Center to go to the parking garage right across the street for lunch, and, uh, that’s what about 11:30. Uh, went up the stairs to the second floor, and was going to walk to my truck when I saw a n-, person in the second floor of the parking garage walking past the front of my truck. Uh, it looked like he had a-, some type of metal bar in his hand, um, so I walked away, kept-, I walked away from my truck and, uh, went to the staircase on the opposite end of the stairs that I came up, uh, and stopped and turned around ta see if the guy would keep walkin’. Uh, I walked back out and walked back down to where my truck was to try to go my vehicle, and I saw the man standing by a white F150 on the second floor of the parkin’ garage, uh, he was just laying against the railing, uh, and then I did see that he had somethin’ in his hand. Um, so I walked down the stairs and went to the guard house, or the-, I don’t what they-, what that is, just the guard house on the first floor of the parking garage, uh, and I told them that there was a man upstairs looked like…just different, you know, it looked like he was walkin’ around vehicles, um, and when I walked by SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 3 of 18 him again he didn’t even acknowledge me when I saw him. So I’d told them, and they called the police. SHELDON: Okay. So you, uh, were working tonight at-, uh, on duty? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: When-, what time did you start work? RICHARDSON: I started work at 2:00 o’clock on the, on the 1st, July 1st. SHELDON: So 1400 hours? RICHARDSON: 1400 hours, yes sir. SHELDON: Okay. And what, what do you do? RICHARDSON: I'm a Deputy with, uh, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. SHELDON: And what was your duty assignment today? RICHARDSON: Today I was working in the, uh, s-, the Uncuff Position, in the, uh, Intake Release Center. SHELDON: Okay. So it was about you said about 11:30… RICHARDSON: Yes sir. SHELDON: …that you went on your lunch break? RICHARDSON: Yes sir. SHELDON: And, um, are you familiar with, uh, compass directions? So, uh, which set of stairs did you enter the parking stra-, structure at? SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 4 of 18 RICHARDSON: The stairs…*** (WHISPERED)…it was the stairs closest to the… SHELDON: Would it be the ones closest to like the-, close ta the… RICHARDSON: Clo-, close to the soccer field. SHELDON: …athletic field? RICHARDSON: Yes sir. SHELDON: Okay. So that would be east side? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: They-, uh, yes sir. SHELDON: So and it was the, uh, set of stairs that are closest to the soccer stadium, and closest to the sh-, the Sheriff’s building there? RICHARDSON: Yes. Closest to the door that the employees use to go inside. SHELDON: Okay. So you went up to the second floor, and about how far in was, was it that you first saw this individual? RICHARDSON: Um, so I came up on the second floor and right when I came out of the s-, that staircase, um… SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: …I saw him coming up past my vehicle, and my vehicle was… SHELDON: *** (INAUDIBLE). SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 5 of 18 RICHARDSON: …50 yards, 50-, yeah, 50 yards maybe away from where I was standing. So… SHELDON: Would that be west… RICHARDSON: Uh… SHELDON: …clo-, closer towards the police department *** (SPEAKING SIMULTANEOUSLY)? RICHARDSON: No. It was further…it would've been north. *** (SPEAKING SIMULTANEOUSLY)… SHELDON: So up towards… RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: …Santa Ana… RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: …Civic Center Boulevard? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: Okay. And he was up at that direction? RICHARDSON: Yes. He was. SHELDON: So he was walking south towards you… RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: …is that correct? RICHARDSON: Yes sir. SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 6 of 18 SHELDON: Could you describe what he looked like? RICHARDSON: Um, he had dark hair, and…when I first saw him I-, all I saw was he had a tan shirt on and it looked like he had maybe tan, light colored, shorts on. SHELDON: And you said he had something in his hands? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: Did-, could you recognize that or describe it? RICHARDSON: The first time I saw him, um, no. I just saw that it was…approximately looked like maybe a foot long, um, the second time I came around and I saw him it looked like a metal object in his hand. SHELDON: W-, when you say a metal object was it…wh-, what kind of object? RICHARDSON: Uh, it looked like a piece of scrap metal, honestly… SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: …from what I just caught-, looked at when I-, the second time I walked by him ta… SHELDON: What is-, uh, could you describe the dimensions of it? RICHARDSON: Uh, maybe about a foot long, um, and I’d say maybe an inch and a half or two inches wide. SHELDON: Do you remember what hand, or which of-, he was carrying it in? RICHARDSON: I don’t. SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 7 of 18 SHELDON: It’s okay. So you, you came up the stairs and you see him walking south towards you, and then which direction did you continue walking? Did… RICHARDSON: I continue walking west. SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: To the, to the western most staircase that would be closest to the Santa Ana Police Department. SHELDON: Okay. So, um, did you continue to observe the individual as you, as you walked westbound? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: Okay. Um, about how much time do you think transpired from when you came out of the stairwell and first observed him? RICHARDSON: When I initially came up onto the second floor? SHELDON: Correct. RICHARDSON: ‘Bout maybe…a m-, a minute and a half. SHELDON: Okay. Did, did you say anything to him? RICHARDSON: No sir. SHELDON: Did he say… RICHARDSON: No I didn’t. SHELDON: …anything to you? SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 8 of 18 RICHARDSON: No. SHELDON: How would you characterize that he was acting? RICHARDSON: The first time I saw him, um, he was, he was walking very slowly, um…and he d-, I didn’t hear him say anything. Uh, the second time I saw him I, I looked at him and kind of-, to see if he would acknowledge me when I walked by, and he-, I saw him look at me and then he just looked away from me. Uh… SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: …we didn’t speak to each other. SHELDON: How it-, whe-, or how did you encounter him a second time? So-, ‘cause you said you were walking westbound toward the stairwell… RICHARDSON: Yes sir. SHELDON: …towards the stairwell. Then what happened? RICHARDSON: I, I stopped in that, uh, western stairwell, um… SHELDON: Ok RICHARDSON: …and was looking back east towards, uh, the soccer stadium where I saw on him on, on, on the second floor, and just ta see if-, what, what he was gonna do. To see if he was gonna get into a car, if he had a car up there or not. Um, and I didn’t see him walk by from when I had walked into the stairwell, uh, so I came back out and just walked east again towards the other stairwell, um, and that’s when I had came around a big Ford F150, it was backed in right next to that eastern-most stairwell, and he was standing in an empty spot, uh, between that SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 9 of 18 F150 and I think another car on the side of it, and he was just leaning against the railing, um, *** (MUMBLED). SHELDON: What, what color was the, the truck? RICHARDSON: White. SHELDON: It was a white one? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: So he was standing against the rail to the rear of that white truck? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: Um, do you remember orientation of the truck? Is it… RICHARDSON: It was… SHELDON: …backed in? RICHARDSON: Yes. It was backed in. SHELDON: Okay. So is he, uh, on the passenger side or on the driver’s side, uh… RICHARDSON: He’s on the passenger side. SHELDON: Okay. And he was just leaning on the rail? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: And you, you went past him to the east stairwell? RICHARDSON: Yes. SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 10 of 18 SHELDON: And, uh, non-, no exchange of words? RICHARDSON: No. SHELDON: Okay. And then from there you went *** (SPEAKING SIMULTANEOUSLY)… RICHARDSON: Uh, down to the first floor. SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: And walked through the first floor, um, to that, uh, guard shack that’s right by the gates on the easter-, uh, on the u-, excuse me, the western side. So the guard shack that’s right by the, uh, you can see the police department, Santa Ana Police Department from that guard shack. SHELDON: Okay. And then that’s where you shared with thim your observations? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: Did you ask them ta call the police department or? RICHARDSON: No. I just told 'em what I saw. I said, uh, excuse me, mam, you-, there’s an individual on the second floor, um, carrying what looks like a metal object in his hand, um, and she said that she would call the police. SHELDON: Okay. And after you spoke to the folks in the, the, the guard shack did anything of note happen after that? RICHARDSON: Uh, they called the police, uh, I assume because a Santa Ana Police Officer came into the-, on-, from the police department side, he came into the parking garage. SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 11 of 18 SHELDON: So you say a police officer, was it-, is it on foot or was he drivin’ a car? RICHARDSON: No. He was driving a vehicle. SHELDON: Okay. Um, about how much time from when you s-, would say that you were speaking to the folks in, uh, the shack there till you saw the patrol unit? RICHARDSON: Uh, I’d say 20 to 30 seconds. SHELDON: Oh? ***… RICHARDSON: *** very quickly. SHELDON: Very quickly? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: And then what happened after that? RICHARDSON: Uh, he pulled in and I actually saw him pulling in, so I turned around, and went over ta talk to him. Um, his window was down so I just kind of waved my hand at him, and I, uh, I told him that I had just told the guard that I saw the guy up on the second floor. And I ki-, I gave him just a brief description, um, of him. SHELDON: Of the individual? RICHARDSON: Yes. SHELDON: Okay. And; then what happened? RICHARDSON: Uh, and then I told him that, uh, I said I think I saw a-, somethin’ in his hand, looked like a metal object in his hand, I don’t know what he’s doing, um, but he’s up on the second floor, uh, coming in from the west side where the officer SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 12 of 18 came in from. He turned up, and I told him that he would be to his left, and you could actually…you could see the driver’s side of the Ford, of the F150, that was up there and I told the last time I saw him he was standing on the left side…excuse me, on the left side, the passenger side of that car. SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: And then the officer drove upstairs. Um, then I, uh, I walked out of the parkin’ garage through the…the gated, uh, the gate arm area t-, uh, by the soccer fields on the east side… SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: …and I started walking down the street back towards the Intake Release Center. SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: So south. Um, and I started-, I heard yelling, and…I don’t remember how many times I heard yelling, but then I heard two gunshots…what soun-, what I believe sounded like gunshots. SHELDON: And in regards to the yelling, could you make out what was being said or you could just hear… RICHARDSON: I-, no sir. I could just hear…just-, I could just hear voices.… SHELDON: Uh, male, female? RICHARDSON: Uh, male. SHELDON: Okay. Did it sound like just one person yelling or could yo-, or did it sound like there was a person yelling and somebody yelling back? SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 13 of 18 RICHARDSON: It’s, uh…I c-, I wouldn’t be able ta te-, I don’t think I could tell the difference. SHELDON: Okay. And, and then after you heard the two gunshots, uh, what, what happened after that? RICHARDSON: Um…I’d…walked back over to the intake release center and stood by the door, uh, and then multiple Santa Ana Police vehicles started coming on the scene. SHELDON: Okay. Did you go back over and identify yourself to the, uh, the Santa Police folks or did… RICHARDSON: There was, uh, there was actually a…another deputy. I, I'm not-, I believe he was from the Central Men’s Jail. Uh, they were doing, uh, he said a perimeter check, uh, and they, they showed up about the same time that the Santa Police officer started putting caution tape, uh, around. So I told him that…what I, what I was doing out there, and id-, identified myself to him, and I just didn’t know if I needed to stay or who to talk to. SHELDON: *** (INAUDIBLE). RICHARDSON: So, uh, he went over and told a Santa Ana police officer that-, what I had told him that I’d… SHELDON: Okay. RICHARDSON: …that-, and the Santa Police officer came over to speak with me, and told me ta stay and he would come talk to me. SHELDON: Okay. Do you have any questions? MOROYOQUI: Yes. Um, you said, uh, JOSHUA? SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 14 of 18 RICHARDSON: Yes sir. MOROYOQUI: Ma-, may I call you JOSHUA? RICHARDSON: Yes. Yes sir. MOROYOQUI: Thank you. Um, you were on your lunch break? RICHARDSON: Yes sir. MOROYOQUI: And what were you wearing when you came, when you came out? RICHARDSON: Uh… MOROYOQUI: When you went ta-, w-, goin’ towards your truck? We’re yo-, are you wearing what you're wearing now? RICHARDSON: Yes. MOROYOQUI: Which is a tan shorts and a tee-shirt, *** in full Station 18, uh, uniform? RICHARDSON: No sir. MOROYOQUI: Okay. So you were in your civilian clothing? Um, are you-, were you armed? RICHARDSON: Uh, no sir. MOROYOQUI: No? Okay. Um, so you didn’t have like a 417 on your anything? RICHARDSON: No sir. MOROYOQUI: A, a gun? Okay. And then, um, when…you walked upstairs and you saw the subject walking southbound from the north side of the parking structure second SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 15 of 18 floor, um…is that when you saw m-, s-, you couldn’t make it-, anything out yet, but you saw him having something in his ri-, in hand? RICHARDSON: Yes sir. MOROYOQUI: Um, and you continued walking westbound towards the other staircase? RICHARDSON: Yes. MOROYOQUI: And you *** from my understanding you came back again eastbound? RICHARDSON: Yes. MOROYOQUI: And that subject was already leaning up against the passenger side of a Ford pickup truck, which was backed in? RICHARDSON: Uh, he was leaning on the railing, um… MOROYOQUI: Okay. RICHARDSON: …in between the Ford pickup truck and a, a…another vehicle next to it. There was an open parkin’ spot. MOROYOQUI: Okay. RICHARDSON: And he had situated himself on the rail right next to that, uh, Ford pickup. MOROYOQUI: Can you describe the guy’s actions, what he was doing? Um, I think I understood, understood he was acting-, was he actin’ kinda weird or? RICHARDSON: He was. Um, e-… MOROYOQUI: And let me ask you this, and there’s no disrespect whatsoever. SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 16 of 18 RICHARDSON: Yes sir. MOROYOQUI: Just that way I have an idea. Um, how long have you been a deputy? RICHARDSON: Uh, I graduated the Academy in April of this year. MOROYOQUI: Okay. Have you had any, uh, drug recognition courses? RICHARDSON: Uh, no sir. MOROYOQUI: No? Okay. RICHARDSON: No sir. MOROYOQUI: So in, in your words can you describe to me what, um, how this guy was acting…to you? I mean in your eyes how he was acting? RICHARDSON: Um, hmm…he…I, I, I couldn’t tell if he had maybe an earphone or somethin’ in his ear, but it looked like he was either listening to music or, um, s-, humming to himself, because when I walked by him he, he didn’t pay any attention me, uh, he didn’t acknowledge me. Um, which, uh, would *** if somebody was walking by that close to them that they would look at them, they would acknowledge them. So, um… MOROYOQUI: Right. RICHARDSON: …yeah. Uh, I just thought it was odd that he didn’t look at me so. MOROYOQUI: Okay. Okay. Then…as you're walking when the officer got there you briefed of, of what you saw, um, did you get the officer’s name by any chance? RICHARDSON: No sir. SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 17 of 18 MOROYOQUI: Okay. No worries. So you walked back east towards the east vehicle exit, right, and then you walked southbound towards the IRC? RICHARDSON: Yes. MOROYOQUI: Um, when you hear the yelling, uh, how long after that, approximately, did you hear the gunshots? RICHARDSON: Uh, they-, I would say very quickly. Maybe…two ta three seconds, um, five seconds tops. MOROYOQUI: Okay. And you sai-, y-, you said that you weren't able to tell what was being said? RICHARDSON: No sir. MOROYOQUI: Or what was being yelled? Okay. Um…tryin' ta think…that’s *** think, uh…think I'm good for right now. SHELDON: Okay. Can you think of anything that, that happened that, that you wanna share with us that perhaps we didn’t cover in any of our questions? Anything that stands out in your mind? RICHARDSON: No sir. I can't. SHELDON: Okay. Uh…and then I'm gonna conclude the interview. The time is now 3:17. [END OF INTERVIEW] TRANSCRIBED BY: ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE JULY 5, 2018 SA 18-021 Investigator: B. Sheldon Approved By: Date of Report:7/12/18 Date: 07/12/2018 Page 18 of 18 REVISED BY: Brian Sheldon / Investigator_______________ (NAME) / (TITLE) Orange District Attorney Office / 7-12-18 (DEPARTMENT) / (DATE)