FBI and Grand Jury Probe Police Shooting

SANTA ANA —  The FBI and the Orange County Grand Jury are investigating a Santa Ana police officer’s fatal shooting of a man he had pulled over for driving a stolen car.

Police and civilian witnesses have given conflicting accounts of the incident, which has sparked community protests and the filing of a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city.

The incident occurred last Labor Day weekend on North Laurel and 5th streets when the officer saw the stolen vehicle and ordered Jose Manuel Campos, 28, to stop. The confrontation escalated when the car continued to move forward as the officer tried to apprehend Campos.

Police say the shooting was justified because the officer feared being run over by Campos. They allege that Campos gunned the engine of the car and angled it toward the officer in an attempt to flee.

But witnesses say that Campos posed no threat to the officer, said Marc Block, an attorney who filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday on behalf of the Campos family. Block said that at least six witnesses said the officer provoked Campos before firing a bullet into his ear at point-blank range.

Citing the conflicting accounts, the Orange County district attorney’s office has referred the matter to the grand jury for an independent inquiry, said Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the agency.

The FBI began its investigation at the request of the U.S. attorney’s office.

The officer, a 14-year veteran who has not been identified, has returned to patrol duty, Saadeh said.