CA Officer Kills Bystander While Shooting At Suspect

Los Angeles CA

23 August, 2021

2:39 PM

Description

GUADALUPE, CA — A man died Saturday after he was mistakenly shot by a California police officer who was reportedly aiming at a suspect, authorities said. A police officer fired his gun around 9:40 p.m. in Guadalupe, on the central coast, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said in a release. Officers were pursuing a suspect with an outstanding felony arrest warrant when a bullet struck a man who was sitting in a vehicle in the 100-block of Obispo Street. The officer who fired the fatal shot was not named. Juan Luis Olvera-Preciado, a 59-year-old Guadalupe resident, was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:13 p.m. The suspect with a felony warrant, who was not named, was arrested at the scene. Neither the officer or the suspect were injured in the incident, officials said. The incident is currently being investigated by the California Department of Justice, with assistance from the sheriff's office. The Santa Maria Police Department will also conduct an administrative investigation as requested by Guadalupe Police Chief Michael Cash. "Chief Cash met personally with the Olvera-Preciado family to offer his condolences and to coordinate support services," sheriff's officials wrote in a statement.