Last weekend, a police officer in California accidentally killed a bystander while trying to shoot at the suspect.
According to a press release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred at about 9:40 on Saturday night local time when a Guadalupe police officer police The department recognized a suspect wanted for a “felony arrest warrant without bail”.
The press release stated that the official noticed the suspect near the intersection of Birch and Obispo streets.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said that when Officer Guadalupe noticed the suspect, he opened fire.
According to the press release, when the Guadalupe police officer fired on the wanted suspect, the bullet instead hit “an unrelated resident sitting in a car in the 100 block of Obispo Street.”
The victim of the gunshot wound was 59-year-old Juan Luis Olvera-Preciado of Guadalupe, California. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said that Olvera Preciado was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 10:13 pm.
“The suspect with a felony arrest warrant was eventually arrested at the scene. The officer and the suspect were not injured,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Soon after the bystander was shot, Guadalupe Police Chief Michael Cash called detectives and forensic technicians from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to assist in the investigation.
The press release stated that when detectives arrived at the scene, they “soon realized that the incident met the standards of AB1506, which required the Attorney General’s Office to investigate a shooting incident involving a police officer that resulted in the death of an unarmed civilian.”
According to the press release, California Ministry of Justice With the help of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, a criminal investigation into the incident is currently underway.
The press release said: “The Santa Maria Police Department will conduct an administrative investigation at the request of Chief Cash.”
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office pointed out that Guadalupe Police Chief Cash “personally” met with Olvera-Preciado’s family to “express condolences and coordinate support services.”
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office did not release the names of the arrested suspects. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office stated that the identity of the Guadalupe police who shot the bystander is “awaiting additional interview and investigation procedures.”
Weekly newspaper After contacting the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for further comment, he was directed to the press release.
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