A police officer shot and killed an unarmed bystander when he opened fire at a suspect and missed on Saturday night. Juan Luis Olvera-Prec...
A police officer shot and killed an unarmed bystander when he opened fire at a suspect and missed on Saturday night.
Juan Luis Olvera-Preciado, 59, was sitting in his car at an intersection in Guadalupe, California, when he was hit by the officer's bullet.
The Guadalupe Police Department officer, who has not been named, had spotted a man who was wanted on a no-bail felony warrant at approximately 9:40 pm on Saturday night.
Officials say the officer opened fire, but missed his target and hit Olvera-Preciado, who was parked nearby.
Olvera-Preciado was pronounced dead at the scene at around 10:13 pm
Police have not revealed why the officer opened fire, and have not named the suspect who was apprehended.
The Guadalupe Police Department officer, who has not been named, opened fire on a suspect but missed and hit an innocent bystander (file image)
'Sheriff’s Office detectives and forensics technicians responded to the scene at the request of Guadalupe Police Chief Michael Cash to conduct the investigation into the incident,' an August 22 release said.
Per California State Assembly Bill 1506, both the Sheriff's Department the Attorney General will conduct an investigation into the Guadalupe officer's use of force to determine whether his decision to shoot was 'warranted.'
These external agencies will investigate, rather than the Guadalupe Police Department, to avoid bias toward the offending police officer.
The Police Practices Division within the Attorney General's Office will also review the department's use of deadly force policies and make recommendations.
'Chief Cash met personally with the Olvera-Preciado family to offer his condolences and to coordinate support services.'
Citing an ongoing investigation, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department would not divulge the nature of the suspect's alleged crime, nor the officer's reasoning for firing his weapon.
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