Green
Party of VenturaBut has this plan been implemented? A closer look indicates that Ventura police officers are still unable to properly handle situations involving highly emotional or suicidal individuals. Instead, the normal routine for these incidents is that the police officer is put on paid leave while law enforcement department officials "open an investigation;" a few weeks later, the department routinely announces that the shooting was justified, the officer is put back on active duty, and the case is closed without any further ramifications.
|
Victim |
Shot by |
Circumstance |
Shooting Date |
|
Jon Edward Hill, 46 |
Ventura County Deputies & SWAT Team |
Members of Ventura County SWAT Team shot victim in the backyard of victim's home after
he came out from the aftereffects of a percussion grenade and threatened the 120
officers convened there with a knife. SWAT Team first shot pepper and rubber bullets,
but when that didn't stop him, they gunned him down. |
August 26, 2003 |
|
Gregg Wynn Hackett, 48 |
Ventura County Deputies |
Victim inexplicably drove up to the East County Sheriff's Station and fired
on the building until Deputies came outside and shot and killed him. |
August 5, 2003 |
|
James McDonough Daniels, 19 |
Ventura County Deputies |
Police shot victim in front of a swim school in Thousand Oaks after school staffers
noticed victim was out in front, alone, cutting himself. Victim tried to flee, and
police shot him. |
April 8, 2003 |
|
Nancy Jean Pearlman, 56 |
Ventura County Deputies |
Police shot her in the midst of trying to coax her out of her car. She was parked on
the beach, alone and despondent, with a gun, contemplating committing suicide. |
March 21, 2003 |
|
Randy Reeves, 19 |
Ventura City Police |
Struggle by police to pull victim out of car, during which time victim pulled out knife |
April 4, 2002 |
|
Victim #3 |
Ventura Police |
Man killed in his own home by police who had responded to the victim's 8-year-old son who called 911 because his parents were arguing. Police mistakenly thought that victim had reached for a gun. (LA Times, 10/15/01) |
Oct. 15, 2001 |
|
Victim #2 |
Ventura County Deputies (Thousand Oaks) |
A man wielding a kitchen knife |
Oct. 13, 2001 |
|
Robert Lee Jones, 23 |
Onxard City Police |
Allegedly mentally ill, hiding in bedrom closet with kitchen knife; shot while crouched down |
Aug. 24, 2001 |
|
Larry Brown, 27 |
Oxnard City Police |
Victim pointed gun at officers |
July 14, 2001 |
|
Victim #1 |
Oxnard City Police |
Victim shot & killed while accelerating car towards officers |
June 10, 2001 |
|
Gracida Castillo, 23 |
Oxnard City Police |
Mentally ill; lunged at officer with a knife in each hand |
May 10, 2001 |
|
Keith Thomas Ewing |
Off-duty LAPD Officer |
Apparently sought revenge for losing his girlfriend to victim, who was shot while watering his lawn in Simi Valley |
June 25, 2001 |
|
Charles Joseph Valdez, 22 |
Oxnard City Police |
Victim was fatally shot by police in downtown Oxnard when victim pointed gun at officers during foot pursuit
|
Jan. 18, 2001 |
|
Richard Lopez, 17 |
Oxnard City Police |
Victim was an armed high school student who had taken a female student hostage; Victim felled by SWAT sharpshooter |
Jan. 10, 2001 |
|
Jonathan Wesley Baker, 48 |
Ventura City Police |
Victim was fatally shot in the abdomen as he was surrounded by 15 police officers and waiting for the county's mental health crisis team to show up; and after poice had already shot a round of rubber bullets and sandbags at the victim who had earlier stabbed some hospital workers with a penknife and was continuing to act belligerently. |
Sept. 30, 2000 |
|
Stephen Bayer, 39 |
Simi Valley Police |
Victim fatally shot when he pointed handgun at police after holding them off for several hours and following a 3-county car chase. |
Jan. 18, 1999 |
|
Roland Emmanuel Sheehan, 43 |
Ventura SWAT team |
Victim shot as SWAT team stormed the house with tear gas after a 10-hour standoff. Before he was killed, he fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend cum hostage sometime during the seige. |
Dec. 4, 1998 |
|
Han Huynh, 29 |
Ventura County Sheriffs (Camarillo) |
Mentally ill man was shot in his own driveway when he lunged with a knife at police who were called to the scene by neighbors concerned about his safety. |
Sept. 22, 1998 |
|
Nicholas Louis Nelson, 43 |
Ventura City Police |
Victim was fatally shot in the neck by officers when he stepped outside his apartment and pointed a gun at them. Officers had been called because of noises of shots having been fired in his apartment. |
Sept. 9, 1998 |
|
Derek Brandon Meyers, 26 |
Ventura County Sheriffs (Thousand Oaks) |
Victim, who had history of depression and attempted suicide, led police in a 3AM car chase, then was fatally shot when he waved a realistic-looking paintball gun at officers. Likely "Suicide by Cop" |
May 7, 1998 |
|
Jason Todd Hayley, 28 |
Ventura City Police |
Victim was gunned down in the back by police as he led them for a 20-minute foot chase while wielding a gun and threatening to commit suicide. |
April 18, 1998 |
|
Walter F. Brazenor, 50 |
Ventura County Sheriffs (Thousand Oaks) |
Victim, who had history of depression and attempted suicide, was ranting with a kitchen knife in hand, threatening to hurt himself. Wife calls T.O. police to help subdue & protect husband from self. 3 police officers show up; victim comes outside towards police with knife, rambling aggressively but incoherently; officer fires several shots into victim, who dies from lead poisoning at hospital 6 weeks later. |
Feb. 7, 1998 |
|
Simi Valley Police Officer Jonathan Gonce |
Simi Valley Police |
Victim commited suicide with department-issued handgun |
Jan. 21, 1998 |
|
Albert Trujillo Flores, 46 |
Oxnard City Police |
Victim shot after he was stopped for erratically riding his bicycle around 3AM, then pulling out an 18-inch screwdriver and 'threatening' the officer with it. |
Jan. 6, 1998 |
|
Officer James Jensen, 30 |
Oxnard City Police |
Victim was accidentally gunned down by peer during botched drug raid |
March 13, 1996 |
|
Ernesto Garcia, 28 |
Ventura City Police |
Distraught, suicidal Victim fatally shot as he swung a club at one of 3 officers who had been called to assist county mental health authorities |
May 1995 |
|
James Anthony Zendejas, 21 |
Ventura City Police |
Victim fatally shot during attempted robbery. Victim was holding a 'real-looking', but fake, gun |
April 30 1995 |
|
| |||
|
Anna Guo, 14 |
Ventura Police |
Victim was depressed and threatened to commit suicide with a steak knife. Five armed police officers arrived in response to her father's call and, without provocation, fired three bullets into the girl. The Ventura County DA is now filing charges of felony assault against the maimed girl! (See news article on case) |
May 2000 |
|
Anthony Morales, 52 |
Ventura County Sheriffs |
Victim had wrestled away gun brandished in a wedding crowd from his drunken son |
May 2000 |
|
Oliverio Martinez, 29 |
Oxnard Police |
Victim, a local farm worker, had been stopped by the police while bicycling past a drug arrest in process. When it was discovered that the victim was carrying a knife, the victim was shot 5 times, in the eye, spine, and leg, by one of the police officers and left permanently blinded and paralyzed. Click here for more information on his suit against the Oxnard Police Department. |
Nov 1997 |
|
Simi Valley Police Officer Dave Raduziner |
Simi Valley Police |
Victim was shot by peer as peer tried to shoot at suspect who lunged at victim with pocketknife. |
Dec, 18, 1995 |
|
Wesley Simpson, 42 |
Simi Valley Police |
Victim was shot 3 times with police shotgun after he refused to cooperate. Victim was drunk, holding a .22-caliber rifle, and threatening to kill his children. |
Feb. 1995 |
Page Last Updated: August 2003