State Department of Justice is investigating fatal shooting by Tustin police
The state Department of Justice said Tuesday that it will investigate and review a case in which a Tustin police officer fatally shot a man.
About 10 a.m. Monday, Tustin police officers were responding to a report of a suspicious person near the 15400 block of Williams Street when a man “quickly came out of the bushes,†the Tustin Police Department said in a statement. The man was “advancing on the officers,†and one fatally shot him, the department said.
The man, who has not been identified, died at a hospital.
Following protocol, the police department notified the DOJ about the shooting. The California Police Shooting Investigation Team was deployed and is investigating the case.
The DOJ’s authority to investigate the shooting falls under AB 1506, which took effect July 1; the law allows the department to review police shootings involving unarmed people for potential criminal liability.
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta launched the investigation team in July. Bonta said that based on historic trends, he expects the team to investigate 40 to 50 fatal police shootings a year. The DOJ is reviewing another shooting involving two Los Angeles police officers.
Tustin Police Sgt. Matt Nunley said Tuesday night that the police department will cooperate with the independent investigation.
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