SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta has released a report by the Department of Justice on the death of John Romero from an officer-involved shooting in 2022.
The report finds that criminal charges against the officers are not appropriate in this case.
On December 8, 2022, officers with the San Diego Police Department responded to a 911 call of a man holding a gun to his head on the 4200 block of Central Avenue. Romero then headed towards University Avenue on a bicycle.
Officers found Romero in a driveway near a parked car, and Romero continued to point the gun at his head, and ignored the officer's commands to drop the gun.
Romero told officers to shoot him and began to walk toward the officers. That's when one of the officers discharged a beanbag shotgun, knocking Romero to the ground.
Romero ducked behind a car, stood up, and started to raise his handgun when he was fatally shot. It was not until after Romero was killed that it was discovered that the gun he had was an airsoft gun, with no markings that distinguished it from a real handgun, according to the Attorney General's office.
The report, conducted by the Department of Justice, states that the SDPD officers involved acted in self-defense, believing that Romero had a real gun.
One of the officers also believed that he had heard gunfire and believed that Romero had fired first, and the officer thought he was returning fire.
"Loss of life is always a tragedy. AB 1506 is a critical transparency and accountability tool, and our hope for this report is to provide some understanding and aid in advancing towards a safer California for all," said Attorney General Bonta. “Together, we aim to foster a system that not only protects the rights of individuals but also promotes trust and accountability between law enforcement and our communities.”
AB 1506 requires the DOJ to investigate all incidents of officer-involved shootings that result in the death of an armed civilian in the state.
The DOJ says no further action will be taken in this case.
You can read the full report here:
