Nine local law enforcement officials have been cleared of criminal liability in four separate shootings, according to reviews released Thursday.
The incidents reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office date from April 2023 through May 2024, and happened in three San Diego communities and Bonsall.
Of the four shootings, two were fatal, by San Diego Police Department officers. The others involved Sheriff’s deputies and a California Highway Patrol officer.
The fatal shootings each date back to 2023.
On Nov. 13, 2023, a woman reported that her boyfriend, Imanol Aparicio, 22, had shot her in the head. San Diego police officers responded to City Heights, the D.A.’s Office review stated, and when they spotted Aparicio out for a walk, he took off running.
Officers gave chase and Aparicio ran into an alley off Wightman Street while reaching into his waistband. The suspect ignored commands to show his hands; two of the officers opened fire.
Aparicio fell to the ground, then sat up while holding a handgun. Sgt. Matthew Ruggiero and Officers Jeremy Avalos and Jonah Tafoya opened fire again. Aparicio died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The D.A.’s review states the officers “reasonably believed, based on the totality of circumstances, that such force was necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.”
Less than a month later, Curtis Harris, 46, was shot to death by San Diego police in 4S Ranch after he shot a fellow officer. The suspect, accused of domestic violence and child abuse, allegedly had stolen his girlfriend’s vehicle.
Police tracked the car to a Ralphs in 4S Ranch. When Harris exited the grocery store and saw them, he took off. During a foot chase, Harris turned and shot Sgt. Anthony Elliott in the head.
Officers Tanarat Crowe, Darrion Talalele and Trevor Wright returned fire, killing Harris. Elliott survived and is back on the job.
The D.A.’s review states “because of the quick and deadly nature of Harris’ actions, the officers had no available less-lethal force options.”
Suspects survived shootings in Lincoln Park and Bonsall.
On April 24, 2023, Jose Murillo, 28, pulled up behind CHP Officer Jesse Matias, who was stopped on a shoulder of Interstate 805 in Lincoln Park. When Matias asked Murillo to step out of his car, Murillo brandished a knife, the D.A.’s Office said.
Matias then backed up and ordered Murillo to drop the weapon, but he advanced, prompting the patrolman to open fire, according to the review. Murillo was shot multiple times and later convicted by a jury of charges that included assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
He was later sentenced to one year in jail, plus two years probation.
The D.A.’s review states Murillo “quickly charged” while pointing the knife at Matias,” who “discharged his handgun under the reasonable belief that the use of deadly force was necessary” to protect himself.
In Bonsall, deputies responded on May 4, 2024 after receiving 911 calls regarding a man carrying a gun and a knife while walking along state Route 76.
San Diego County sheriff’s deputies Lisa Lee and Jorge Chavez spotted Patrick Lowell, 66, on the westbound shoulder and told him to stop, but he didn’t, according to the D.A.’s Office.
When he continued walking and got within 40 feet of the deputies, they opened fire. Lowell was struck in the buttocks and fell, dropping his gun.
Lowell later pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and brandishing a gun at a police officer. He was sentenced to two years in state prison.
The D.A.’s review notes the deputies were faced with “an alarming and rapidly evolving situation” with multiple civilians in the area. It states the deputies “reasonably concluded that the deployment of less-lethal options was not feasible.”
