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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOCSD Investigator Cislo's Investigation Summary_RedactedDR#: 21-032545 . SUPPLEMENT COPY Reporting Area: Homicide NARRATIVE CASE SUMMARY: Case Information: On Saturday, September 25 , 2021 at about 16:05 hours , I was notified by Sergeant A. Abdelmuti #5458 of the Orange County Sheriffs Department (OCSD) Homicide of an officer involved shooting (OIS) involving officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD). The officers were from various units and were assigned to work the U.S. Open of Surf. A male subject, later identified as was shot by HBPD officers and later pronounced deceased at UC Irvine Medical Center at about 16:07 hours. At the request of Sgt. A. Abdelmuti , I responded as the case agent to investigate the OIS (DR #21 -032545). The other associated case numbers were ; HBPD DR #21-012353 , Orange County Crime Lab (OCCL) FR #21-52599 , and Orange County Coroner's Officer #21-05698-TA. The following is a summary of the OIS investigation and select findings. Th is summary is not meant to take the place of any other reports , but is only in place to give a brief account of the OIS and follow-up investigation . The summary is based on numerous eyewitness statements , body worn camera video footage, civilian video footage , and physical evidence collected. For full details on the case , please see all reports , evidence collected , and documents related to the cases listed above. OIS: On Saturday, September 25 , 2021 , six HBPD officers were working the U.S . Open of Surf. The U.S. Open took place on the beach and shore closest to the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), in The City of Huntington Beach. The six HBPD officers who were specifically assigned to police the event were ; Sergeant Anthony Pham #1183, Detective Read Parker #1041 , Detective Charles Remington #1043 , Officer Damian Velasco #2045 , Officer Christopher Simpson #3013 , and HBPD Officer Nicholas Koehler #2263. At about 15:08 hours , the above officers responded to a radio call of an intoxicated male subject who had possibly committed a petty theft. It was reported the male was seen running along the beach line and the officers working the event were requested to respond to the area . A radio update stated the involved parties were under the pier. Shortly after , Officer D. Velasco radioed that per event staff, the male was Hispanic, short and bald, wearing a white t-shirt with a basketball logo on the back, and shorts. The male had a weapon but it was unknown if the weapon was a gun or a knife . Officers R. Parker, C. Remington , D. Velasco, C . Simpson, and N. Koehler located and approached the subject ( on the beach about 200 ' feet south of the pier and 50 ' feet west of the paved bike I walking path. During the contact, there were numerous bystanders on the beach , pier, path , surrounding area , and dinning at the Sandys Beach Shack Restaurant (About 60 ' feet away). The officers ordered to , "Come here " and to , "Stop ," but did not comply. had his hands concealed underneath several t-shirts he was holding at waist level. The officers drew their weapons and told to, "Stop " multiple times. raised up both of his hands straight out in front of him about chest high. was pointing directly at Detective C. Remington. had his feet about shoulder width apart. stance was consistent with someone shooting a handgun. Several of the videos obtained showed the black barrel of what appeared to be a gun protruding from underneath the t-shirts. Almost immediately, shots were fired by the officers at fell to the ground and dropped a firearm (Later determined to be a Sig Sauer .40 semi-automatic handgun). From the videos and physical evidence , one of the rounds heard being fired in the initial volley , was likely fired by (See below). A copy of th e "tru e" original shall be obt ain ed and releas ed by Re co rds D ivision Page 1 of 3 Printed by Cislo, Joseph on 2/10/2022 10 :48 DR#: 21-032545 SUPPLEMENT COPY Reporting Area: Homi c ide On the ground, officers gave additional commands to stop. got to his hands and knees and lunged toward the dropped gun. grabbed the gun and raised it towards the officers. The officers shot multiple rounds at dropped the gun and stopped moving . The officers stopped shooting at and carefully app roached him with weapons drawn. Sgt. A. Pham radioed that the suspect had been shot and he requested paramedics. The officers provided medical aid and emergency lifesaving efforts on including Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), chests seals , and a tourn iquet. HB Lifeguards also responded to assist before paramedics arrived to take over care and transport to UCI Medical Center. The officers did not provide statements regarding the incident or shooting. S u s pect Weapon I act ions: From body worn camera video footage , civilian video footage, multiple witness statements, and physical evidence , was armed with a handgun, which he pointed at the officers prior to being shot. After being shot grabbed the weapon and was shot again. The weapon was collected at the scene and identified as a Sig Sauer SP2340 semi -automatic pistol, .40 Smith & Wesson caliber, Serial # The gun was loaded with a 10-round magazine . However, one round was jammed inside the chamber with the slide slightly out of battery and eight rounds inside the magazine, for a total of nine rounds. All nine of the rounds were .40 Smith & Wesson caliber. In addition , one spent .40 Smith & Wesson caliber cartridge was located on the beach near where was standing. The t -shirts held by had a large hole through them with scorching around the edge. A small projectile jacket fragment that struck a small concrete wall behind where the officers were standing was also collected. The f ragment was later tested by the OCCL. Although the fragment shared class characteristics with the Sig Sauer pistol, there were lack of sufficient markings to make a conclusive comparison. However, the OCCL determined the spent .40 cartridge was fired by Sig Sauer. Given the following, it is highly probable that fired one round at the officers prior to initially going to the ground . The fragment located was directly behind the officers and located in the direction was pointing. None of the officers were firing .40 caliber and none of the officers shot in the direction the fragment was located. shirt had scorch marks and a hole consistent with a round being fired through it. weapon was missing one round and all of the remaining rounds matched the spent shell casing . In addition, the round jammed in the chamber and the weapon out of battery, indicates the weapon was fired and jammed when it attempted to cycle . This could have been caused by the way had the weapon wrapped inside the t-sh irts . Conclusion: Based on the totality of the investigation , it appears the following occurred: The officers responded to a possible crime where the subject may have been intoxicated and armed . The officers located a subject ( who matched the description and he refused to comply with the officers ' orders . pulled out a semi-automatic pistol , partially concealed by t -shirts , pointed the gun at officers, and fired one round at them . Officers returned fire and struck knocking him to the ground. On the ground , retrieved the weapon and pointed it towards the officers who fired at striking him again. Officers gave medical aid to until paramedics arrived , but ultimately perished at UCI Medical Center because of multiple gunshot wounds . END OF REPORT A copy of th e "t ru e" orig inal s hall be ob tain ed and releas ed by Records Div is ion Page 2 of 3 Printed by Cislo , Joseph on 2/10 /202 2 10 :48 q__. DR#: 21-032545 SUPPLEMENT COPY Reporting Area: Homicide INVOLVEMENT TYPE OFFICER NAME BODY WORN CAMERA DATE Supplementing Officer J. Cislo 03318 D 2/9/2022 A copy of the "true" original shall be obtained and released by Records Division Page 3 of 3 Printed by Cislo , Joseph on 2/10/2022 10 :48