HomeMy WebLinkAbout2. Preface_RedactedS.A. #18-021
Supervising Investigator: Date of Report: 07/02/2018
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CASE NAME: DOE, JOHN
CLASSIFICATION: OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING (FATAL)
AGENCY: SANTA ANA POLICE DEPARTMENT
DATE AND TIME: JULY 1, 2018 2337 HOURS
LOCATION: 1020 WEST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, SANTA ANA
AGENCY CASE NUMBERS: SAPD 18-15953
OCCL 18-49132
OCCO 18-03011-HO
On Monday, July 2, 2018, at approximately 0005 hours, Santa Ana Police Detective
Corporal RUDY REYNOSO contacted me regarding the Santa Ana Police Department officer
involved shooting incident that occurred at in the parking structure of 1020 West Civic center
Drive, in the city of Santa Ana. Corporal Reynoso requested the Orange County District Attorney’s
(OCDA) Officer Involved Incident Investigation Team respond to the location and conduct an
investigation into the incident.
OCDA investigators BRIAN SHELDON, DAVE MELNYK, MIKE KENDRICK, PETE MONTEZ, and
CHRIS PETERSON were contacted and requested they respond to assist with the investigation. I
also responded to the location and met with investigators assigned to the incident.
At approximately 0208 hours, Santa Ana Police Sergeant ABEL OROPEZA conducted a
briefing of the known circumstances surrounding the incident for the personnel involved in the
investigation. I learned the following from the briefing and preliminary investigation:
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S
OFFICE
BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
S.A. #18-021
Supervising Investigator: Date of Report: 07/02/2018
Page 2 of 3
On July 1, 2018, sometime between 2320 hours and 2330 hours, Orange County Sheriff’s
Deputy JOSHUA RICHARDSON, dressed in civilian clothes and not armed, walked from the Men’s
Central Jail to the multilevel parking structure located at 1020 West Civic Center Drive, in the city
of Santa Ana. RICHARDSON took the southeast stairs from the first level to the second level
where his vehicle was parked.
Once on the second level, RICHARDSON noticed a male adult, possibly Hispanic, walking
in the structure and was carrying a metal bar that was approximately two-feet long and one-inch
wide. RICHARDSON walked back by the subject and the subject was still holding the metal bar
and was now standing between two cars.
RICHARDSON walked down to the first floor and asked the parking attendant to call the
Santa Ana Police Department and report the subject. RICHARDSON stood by and when Santa
Ana Police Officer GAVIN ROELOFS arrived on scene, RICHARDSON reported his observation and
the location the subject was last seen.
ROELOFS, dressed in a Santa Ana Police uniform that had shoulder patches and a metal
badge, drove his marked black and white police vehicle to the southeast portion of the second
floor of the parking structure. ROELOFS saw the described subject holding a metal bar at the
location provided. ROELOFS positioned his vehicle in a manner that placed the subject on the
passenger side of the vehicle allowing ROELOFS to exit the driver’s side of the vehicle. ROELOFS
walked toward the rear of the vehicle while telling the subject to drop the metal bar. The subject
did not comply and continued to move toward the rear of the vehicle in the direction of ROELOFS.
It appeared that at some point ROELOFS had his Taser in his left hand and his handgun in
his right hand. While giving commands, ROELOFS deployed his Taser and at least one dart struck
S.A. #18-021
Supervising Investigator: Date of Report: 07/02/2018
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the subject but had no effect. ROELOFS continued with the commands and then fired two rounds
from his handgun causing the subject to fall to the ground.
Other officers were arriving on scene as the shooting took place. Once the subject was
handcuffed, the officers rendered aid and requested Orange County Fire Authority paramedics.
Paramedics arrived, treated the subject for multiple gunshot wounds, and transported
him to Orange County Global Medical Center, in the city of Santa Ana. Despite hospital staff
efforts, the subject was pronounced deceased on July 2, 2018 at 0025 hours.
It was determined that Officer ROELOFS had his body-worn camera activated at the time
of the incident and that he fired his handgun twice, both rounds striking the subject.
Two metal bars were recovered at the scene.
After the briefing, the following assignments were made:
PETE MONTEZ / ANDY GARCIA (SAPD) Case Investigators
BRIAN SHELDON / GUS MOROYOQUI (SAPD) Scene
CHRIS PETERSON / JIM GARCIA (SAPD) Officer Processing
MIKE KENDRICK/ MATT MCLEOD (SAPD) Scene
DAVE MELNYK / JUSTO CAPACETE Hospital
Refer to the packaged reports, documents and photographs for details of this
investigation.