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STOLEN LIVES - CALIFORNIA  
JANUARY THROUGH AUGUST 1998 

by Karen Saari

Name, Age  Date Killed  Type, Location –  Source

Circumstances
Unidentified man, 37 | 27-Aug-98  Brutality, Lancaster – LA Times, 8/28/98 
An unidentified pedestrian was arrested on charges of being under the influence of controlled substances. He stopped breathing in the back seat of a patrol car and died later at a hospital. Police offered no explanation for his death. 
Phillip Hourigan, 50 | 22-Aug-98 Shot, Placer, Placer County – Sacramento Bee, 8/23/98  
According to deputies, Hourigan was walking in a suspicious manner at 2 a.m. and tried to run away when approached. Claiming Hourigan attacked them with a large, sharp knife, the deputies fired several shots and hit him. When he attacked again, they shot again and killed him that time.  
Durk Chavis, 25  | 18-Aug-98 Chase, Oakland – S.F. Examiner, 8/20/98 
Oakland police initiated a pursuit on an Explorer. The Explorer ran a stop sign and broadsided a car with 3 people inside. Chavis, the driver of the Explorer, died at the scene  Chavis' passenger, a 21-year old Oakland woman survived.  
Johnny Benson, 24  | 18-Aug-98 Chase, Oakland – S.F. Examiner, 8/20/98 
Oakland police initiated a pursuit on an Explorer. The Explorer ran a stop sign and broadsided a car with 3 people inside. Chavis, the driver of the Explorer, died at the scene. Johnny Benson, one of the 3 passengers in the car that was hit died later at a hospital.  
Robert Gonzales  | 7-Aug-98 Brutality, Anaheim – Orange County Register, 8/11/98 
According to authorities, police were called to Gonzales' townhouse by his wife who claimed he had beaten her. A hundred heavily armed police surrounded the building and a standoff ensued. Police threw a tear gas canister into the condo. A fire broke out and Gonzales died in the fire. Police refused to let family members speak to Gonzales during the standoff. Gonzales was a disabled roofer who had been out of work for 4 years. He had 3 children.  
Raad Wadie Jabro, 31 | 3-Aug-98 Shot, San Diego – San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/6/98  
Police say Jabro was acting oddly outside the lobby of the Holiday Inn Hotel. He was in the driveway allegedly holding a knife in each hand. Claiming that he lunged at them from 10 feet away, the Harbor Police shot and killed him.  
Danny Smith, 34  | 1-Aug-98 Jail, Los Angeles – L.A. Times, 8/6/98  
According to other inmates at Twin Towers, Smith, an African-American  inmate in the mental health wing, balked at being placed in a cell with a Latino inmate. Irritated by his resistance, deputies and a jail worker beat Danny Smith severely while he was still handcuffed. Smith died.  
Unidentified Man, 22  | 26-Jul-98 Shot, Ivanhoe, Tulare County – Fresno Bee, 7/27/98  
Sheriff's deputies made a domestic disturbance call. When they arrived, the man would not come out. So the deputies forced their way in. Claiming the man opened fire on them, the sheriffs shot and killed him.  
Marvin Noble, 45  | 16-Jul-98 Shot, Ukiah – Press Democrat, 7/21/98  
County mental health workers asked the police to detain Noble, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, because he was not taking his medication.  When police approached Noble, an African-American, at a Foster Freeze, he left and returned to his nearby apartment building. Police followed him and then sicced a dog on him. When Noble attacked the dog with a kitchen knife, police shot him. According to local civil rights activists, an ambulance arrived and took the dog and left Marvin Noble to die near the door to his apartment.  
Geremeskel Gebreselassie, 36 | 7-Jul-98 Shot, San Diego – San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/29/98  
Claiming that Gebreselasie, an Ethiopian homeless man, swung at him with his cane, Officer Leek of the San Diego PD shot and killed him. A leader of the Ethiopian community expressed rage at what had happened and said the police had killed a peaceful man.  
Israel Garcia, Latino | 4-Jul-98 Shot, Fresno – Fresno Bee, 7/5/98  
Police responded to a "911" call that Israel Garcia was threatening his wife with 12 officers and a helicopter. Claiming that Garcia had his wife on the ground with a gun pointed at her head, they shot and killed him instantly. Garcia, a supervisor at the  Lyon's Magnus food processing plant, was the father of three young children. 
Hao Dinh Vu, 34 Vietnamese |  2-Jul-98 Shot, Garden Grove – LA Times, 7/3/98  
Officers responded to a "911" call about a man with a knife. According to the police, they shot him to death after he fled on foot, refused to drop a knife and lunged toward them. His family said that he had risen, eaten breakfast, showered and gone out for a walk. They described him as a peaceful man who did not carry a knife. He enjoyed cigars and classical music. The family, who immigrated here from Vietnam,  is suspicious of the police version of events and wants an investigation. 
Unidentified, 60s  | 30-Jun-98 Shot  Long Beach – LA Times, 7/1/98  
Police responded to a call about a naked man sitting in a van at a shopping center. When he allegedly grabbed a gun and refused police orders to put it down, police shot him to death. 
Unidentified  14-Jun-98 Shot, Fallbrook (San Diego County) – San Diego Union Tribune, 6/15/98  
San Diego County sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a domestic disturbance and an unidentified person was shot and killed. No other information was provided. 
Fred Sammons, 20 |   7-Jun-98 Shot Van Nuys   – LA Times, 6/9/98  
Police on stake-out for the  "Lotto Bandit," shot and killed Fred Sammons claiming he had robbed a convenience store. Sammon's mother said her son was not the bandit and was a regular known by all the clerks at the store. 
Leslie Baranowski, 39 |  6-Jun-98 Shot, Newcastle   – Sacramento Bee, 6/9/98  
Rocklin police officer Marc Baranowski shot his wife, Leslie, to death as she slept and then killed himself. Apparently, he was upset about having to take care of the children (ages 16 and 14) while she was away at her job in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Two days later, Baranowski was to have started a new assignment dealing with community-oriented policing and problem solving. 
Unidentified male, 20's  | 4-Jun-98 Shot, Temecula – LA Times, 6/5/98  
A Riverside County sheriff's deputy responded to a call about a suspicious person at an apartment complex. Claiming that the man he approached opened fire on him, the deputy shot and killed him. Police reports say the deputy received minor wounds. 
James Eugene Moore, 51 |  1-Jun-98 Shot, Compton  – LA Times, 6/2/98  
Upon hearing that he had been found guilty of kidnapping, Moore became agitated. When courtroom deputies tried to handcuff him, Moore allegedly attacked them with a homemade plastic knife. The killing was witnessed by 22 people in the courtoom. According to police, Moore left behind a note that said he refused to go to prison for something he did not do. 
Sean Seibel, 28 |  29-May-98 Shot, Manteca  – Modesto Bee, 5/30/98  
Police killed the suicidal Seibal when he allegedly fired 4 shots at the Manteca PD SWAT Team. An eyewitness says Seibal did not aim at officers and that the SWAT team fired recklessly into neighboring apartments containing children. 
Unidentified male 29-May-98 Shot, San Francisco – SF Examiner, 5/29/98  
Police claim the victim fired out his passenger window at an undercover cop and a marked patrol car during a drug bust. Another officer shot and killed him. 
Victor Duran, 32 |  28-May-98 Jail, Santa Clara County Jail  – SF Chronicle, 5/29/98  
When police spotted Duran riding his bicycle, they arrested him on warrants. Duran phoned his family from jail to say he had been beaten by four officers. After 12 hours at the jail, he was taken to the infirmary. He was later found unconscious and subsequently died. 
Francisco Martinez, 23 Latino | 25-May-98 Shot, Santa Ana – LA Times, 5/27/98  
According to police, two officers noticed Martinez and a companion "behaving suspiciously" around 4 p.m. The companion fled. An officer opened fire on Martinez who died later that day. Police say Martinez "may" have had a shotgun. 
Unidentified male 24-May-98 Jail, Los Angeles (Twin Towers Correctional Facility) – LA Times, 5/24/98  
Sheriff's deputies found the body of a man who had  apparently been beaten to death inside the jail. No other information was released. 
Unidentified male, 20's |  22-May-98 Shot, Long Beach  – LA Times, 5/24/98  
Passengers on a commuter train told the operator a passenger had a gun. When the train stopped, police told the passenger to drop the weapon. When he allegedly pointed it at them, one officer fired several times and  killed him. 
Ettore Capitumini, 85 |  22-May-98 Crash, Chula Vista  – San Diego Union Tribune, 5/23/98  
According to eyewitnesses and police, an un-uniformed Border Patrol agent in a marked cruiser ran a red light and broadsided the 85-year old Mr. Capitumini's car. Mr. Capitumini was taken to the hospital where he later died. 
Charles Vaughn, Sr., 60 African Am | 19-May-98 Shot, Seaside, Monterey Co. – The Herald, 5/24/98  
Charles Vaughn, Sr., an accomplished citizen, was afflicted with mental illness late in his life. He had climbed onto the roof of his one-story apartment to avoid mental health workers when he was fatally gunned down by the Seaside PD. 
Sheila Detoy, 17 Filipina | 13-May-98 Shot, San Francisco – SF Chronicle, 5/14/98  
Plainclothes drug cops rushed the car in which Sheila was a passenger prompting the driver to flee. When the youths' car backed away from the armed men, police opened fire. Sheila was shot in the head and died. All the youth were unarmed. Sheila was with two unarmed youth of color.  
Police can shoot at a car coming at them but Officer Breslin fired from the side of the car when he was out of harm's way. Breslin was suspended from the police force in 1992 for beating a man so severely the jail would not accept him. Police contend that the car was in reverse and coming at them. An eye witness, Winde Toney, was 30 yards from the shooting. She said, "At no time were the officers in the path of the car and they weren't in any danger from the car." 
Unidentified male 12-May-98 Shot, Azusa  – LA Times, 5/13/98  
Officers tried to stop a car with two men and a chase ensued. The car crashed. One man ran and allegedly took a hostage who escaped. When he commandeered another car and allegedly backed it up toward police, seven or eight officers opened fire and killed him. 
Robert Roy Davis, 58 | 11-May-98 Chase, Alameda  – SF Chronicle, 5/12/98  
According to police, Officer Pat Wyeth saw Davis make a "squealing turn" and decided to stop him for "exhibition of speed." Davis fled and police pursued him.  Davis' car crashed into a guardrail. He was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. 
Tom Neville, 36 |  9-May-98 Shot, Fresno – Sacramento Bee, 5/10/98  
Neville, a former 49ers linebacker, escaped from a psychiatric facility and hid in a broom closet in apartments across the street. When police fired nine beanbag bullets and were unable to subdue him, they had "no choice but to shoot him." Neville was shot about 12 times. 
Edward Cittel, 44 | 9-May-98 Jail,Calipatria State Prison  – Associated Press 5/13/98  
Cittel died in prison. No other information was provided. 
Derek B. Myers, 26 | 7-May-98 Shot, Thousand Oaks  – LA Times, 5/9/98  
According to police, Myers was shot to death when he allegedly threatened Sheriff Scott Streltz with what turned out to be a paint ball gun. Police claim that Myers left behind notes which outlined his plans to "pretend to pull a gun on police." 
Jerry Lee Perkins, 43 | 25-Apr-98 Jail, Solano County Jail – SF Chronicle, 4/28/98  
Perkins died  from a blow to the head he received while in the jail's exercise yard. The blow was allegedly inflicted by another inmate. 
Mark Kulok, 31 | 25-Apr-98 Shot, Acton – LA Times, 4/27/98  
When police attempted to rescue a kidnap victim from him, Kulok fled into the brushy hillside. After an alleged exchange of gunfire, Kulok was found dead. Police claim they did not know if they killed him or if Kulok committed suicide. 
William Edward Meikle, 21 |  23-Apr-98 Shot, Norwalk  – LA Times, 4/24/98  
Police stopped Meikle because he appeared to be intoxicated. When they found a spray can hidden in his jacket, a scuffle broke out. Claiming that Meikle was going for their one of their weapons, police shot and killed him. 
Thomas Peter Stav, 21 | 21-Apr-98 Shot, Santa Clara Hwy 17 – SF Chronicle, 4/22/98  
According to police, Stav was involved in a non-injury hit and run and led dozens of police on a chase at speeds "up to 45 mph." When he stopped, he is alleged to have announced he had a weapon. Stav was shot and killed by a CHP officer. Although authorities searched for hours, no gun was ever found. 
Lyle Bradley Federman, 43 | 21-Apr-98 Shot, Sand Canyon, Kern County  
bakersfield.com, 4/22/98  
Officers arrived in response to a complaint that Federman was igniting bushes in his yard. They called in the sheriff's SWAT team. After a 5-hour standoff,  they attacked Federman with pepper spray. Federman allegedly responded by firing at officers. Then five SWAT officers charged the house and fired wooden bullets. Claiming that Federman lunged at them with a knife, three officers fired 15 9mm bullets and killed him. Federman was a computer consultant. 
Jason Todd Hayley, 29  | 18-Apr-98 Shot, Ventura – LA Times, 4/20/98  
When police attempted to question him, the victim ran. At least 25 officers joined in a chase through a restaurant and onto rooftops during the Artwalk celebration. According to the death certificate, Hayley died from a shotgun wound to the back. 
Kenneth Putt, 64 |  18-Apr-98 Shot,  Oceanside – San Diego Union Tribune, 4/20/98  
Officers were called to the Putt home by his wife because Kenneth, a former Marine with a history of mental illness, was holding a rifle. When Putt pointed the rifle at police, they shot and killed him. 
Unidentified  11-Apr-98 Shot, Los Angeles   – cbs2.com, 4/12/98  
Police arrived responding to a call about a prowler. An unidentified man barricaded himself in a crawl space and the SWAT team was called. After a two-hour standoff, they fired tear gas and the man exited. Claiming the man then pointed a gun at them, the SWAT team shot and killed him. 
Unidentified, 35    |     11-Apr-98 Jail, Los Angeles-Twin Towers  
An inmate arrested in December on a burglary charge died in the correctional facility's medical clinic. 
Steve Silver, 33 | Cambodian 9-Apr-98 Shot, Roseville  – Sacramento Bee, 5/25/98  
Steve Silver, a former US Air Force sergeant, was pursued by police after allegedly robbing a bank. The high speed chase ended in a crash at the busiest intersection in town. According to police, Silver was shot and killed when he fired on an officer. 
Unidentified   8-Apr-98 Shot,  Los Angeles   – LA Times, 4/9/98  
Off-duty officer Guzman was inside a club when he heard gunshots. He rushed out and saw a man standing over a wounded woman. In her defense, Guzman fired 6 shots at the man; when he moved, he shot him two more times. 
Ruben Joseph Cortez, 35 |  6-Apr-98 Shot, Escondido – San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/11/98  
When Cortez fled a traffic stop for expired tags, police gave chase. Cortez' car crashed. Badly injured, he exited the car. Claiming Cortez then charged at officers with an object in his hand, two officers shot and killed him. The object was an 11-inch lighter. District Attorney Paul Pfingst said "each officer's use of deadly force was justifiable and not unlawful." 
Unidentified marine, 24  | 6-Apr-98 Crash, San Diego Freeway  – LA Times, 4/7/98  
The CHP attempted to pull the unidentified Camp Pendleton marine over for a traffic stop around 4 a.m. The marine slowed and moved toward the shoulder when he suddenly veered back into traffic. His car was hit and he died in the resulting explosion. 
Richard Thorpe, 39  | 4-Apr-98 Shot, Torrance  – LA Times, 4/7/98  
Thorpe was stopped because his registration tags had expired. Claiming he drew a gun from his waistband when asked to exit the car, Torrance police officers shot and killed him. 
Juan Gonzalez, 28 Latino | 2-Apr-98 Shot, Costa Mesa  – LA Times, 4/4/98  
Gonzalez and some family members tried to get readmitted into a bar after they were thrown out for having drunk too much. Claiming Gonzalez assaulted him with a pool stick, the security guard shot and killed him. 
Larry Glendowne, 49  | 30-Mar-98 Shot, Los Gatos  – SF Examiner, 3/31/98  
Sgt. Dave Moody and Officer Steve Wahl initiated a chase when Glendowne left a traffic stop and allegedly fired on the police car. Glendowne ran to a residence and banged on the door. Police, claiming he aimed a gun at them, shot and killed him. 
Unidentified male  27-Mar-98 Shot, Los Angeles  
According to police, a man allegedly wielding a gun on a freeway bridge was shot and killed after he fired at officers. Nearby homes were caught in the crossfire; one bullet landed in a bedroom. Police continued to search for one of his weapons. 
Marwin Prado, 21  | 26-Mar-98 Shot, Vallejo  
Police responded to a call about a man behaving strangely, tearing up the kitchen and garage. Marwin was found sitting on a curb allegedly with a .38 caliber gun in his pocket. When he refused to obey orders, he was shot and killed. 
Unidentified male, 43 |  24-Mar-98 Brutality, Athens 
Police responded to call about a man behaving strangely. He was shot with a stun gun and then restrained with a "total appendage restraint procedure." He was having difficulty breathing and died. Paramedics found wadded paper in his throat. 
Steven Bartlett, 35  | 16-Mar-98 Jail, Anaheim City Jail  – LA Times, 3/18/98  
Bartlett was in the temporary detention center awaiting arraignment. He was discovered him dead by officers making their rounds. It is suspected that he was strangled by his cellmate. Officers claim there was nothing to indicate a problem between the two. 
Michael Mata, 30 | 15-Mar-98 Jail, Fullerton Jail  
According to police, Mata hung himself with his sweatshirt after less than 24 hours at the jail. Authorities claim they had no idea he was suicidal. 
Unidentified male, 21 |  15-Mar-98 Shot, Long Beach  – LA Times, 3/17/98  
A man sped away from a traffic stop and crashed. He then ran from police on foot and refused to stop. When he pulled out what looked like a pistol and aimed at 3 officers, they opened fire and killed him. It was a toy gun. 
Paul Rodrigues, 41 Hawaiian | 10-Mar-98 Shot, Petaluma  
Rodrigues, a mentally ill homeless man, is alleged to have been attempting to dismantle the alarm at the local homeless center. Claiming Rodrigues lunged at him with a bicyle fork, Officer Loden shot and killed him. There are reports that Paul was handing the bicycle fork over to the officer when he was killed. 
Carolyn Telzrow, 47 White | 9-Mar-98 Jail, Sonoma Co. Jail  
Carolyn had long taken methadone for extreme pain. Despite pleas from her doctor and psychiatrist, the jail doctor refused to give it to her. Unable to endure the pain, she hung herself with her bra. She was in jail awaiting arraignment on petty theft charges. According to her family, she had shoplifted a pair of earrings. 
Unidentified, 20 |  8-Mar-98 Shot, Long Beach  – LA Times, 3/9/98  
According to police, after a chase and crash, the victim backed into a squad car placing the rear of his vehicle on the squad car's roof. Claiming they had been assaulted with a deadly weapon (the car), the police shot and killed him. 
Chila Amaya, 35  | 7-Mar-98 Shot, Union City – Family's flier   
Union city police shot Chila four times and killed her as she stood behind her locked security door. Police had been called on a non-emergency basis. Police had ordered her father and teenage daugher into a rear bedroom. When the door shut, the shooting began. Police claim that Chila had threatened to kill her father and daughter was on her way toward him. But Chila was shot by the front door and witnesses say no threat was ever made. She had children ages 6-16. 
Michael Carter, 34 |  7-Mar-98 Shot, Truckee  – Sacramento Bee, 3/8/98  
When police responded to a domestic violence call, Carter fled and a chase ensued. When Carter stopped, Deputy Troy Minton-Sander shot and killed him claiming Carter refused orders and appeared to reach for a weapon. Carter was unarmed. 
Nicholaus Contreras, 16 |  2-Mar-98 Jail, Sacramento – Sac Bee, 6/3/98  
This Sacramento youth died at Arizona Boys Ranch in Oracle, AZ, a detention facility. He had been sentenced to that facility by Sacramento authorities. Nicholaus was suffering from a massive chest infection that forced the partial collapse of one lung. Witnesses say that staff members accused Nicholaus of faking illness and forced him to do strenuous exercise as punishment. At least two staff members were fired and four were suspended. The Oracle campus where Contreras was subsequently shut down. 
Kisha Davis, 18    |     1-Mar-98        Chase, Sacramento 
Kisha was a passenger in car involved in a high speed chase with Sacramento police. She was killed when the driver lost control, veered off the road, ran through a guard rail, flipped over and smashed into a duplex. This was the fifth such death in a year involving Sacramento police. 
Stanton Boyd, 36 |  1-Mar-98 Jail, Pelican Bay Prison  
Boyd was stabbed to death allegedly by another inmate. He had recently testified in court against Prison Guard Jose Garcia. There is speculation that his death was arranged by prison guards. 
Kenneth Duckett, 28 |  26-Feb-98 Shot, Ceres  – Sac Bee, 3/1/98  
According to police, when they responded to a call about a break-in, they found Duckett holding a knife. They claim that Duckett then pulled out a gun and aimed it at them. Duckett was shot "numerous times" and died. 
Mike Garcia, 28 Latino | 25-Feb-98 Shot, San Francisco  – SF Chronicle, 3/2/98  
After a "911" call about an armed man in the area, some plaincothes cops spotted Mike and ordered him to halt. Mike walked away but when he quickly turned around, Officer Andy Castro shot and killed him. Mike was unarmed. 
Drue Harris, 37 Native Am | 24-Feb-98 Jail, Sonoma Co. Jail – Jamie Harris, Drue's mother   
Drue allegedly committed suicide while in custody for a misdemeanor fight with a female date. Seventeen hours later he was dead. He was a loving son, good guitar player and a spiritual seeker. The father of two minor children, he was a beautiful person snatched from life. 
Kevin L. Silva, 37 | 24-Feb-98 Brutality, San Diego  – San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/26/98  
Police report that CHP officers tried to arrest Silva when he was found running in the freeway after a traffic collision. A struggle took place and Silva was subdued with some form of Mace. He is said to have died while being taken to the county jail. 
Timothy Waldron 23-Feb-98 Jail, Pelican Bay Prison  
According to authorities, Waldron was strangled by an inmate, Steven Olivares, who is associated with the White Aryan Brotherhood. Authorities suspect the incident was provoked by prison guards. 
Luis Romero, 28 Latino | 20-Feb-98 Brutality, Los Angeles  – LA Times, 2/25/98  
According to police reports, Romero was stopped for a traffic violation and taken into custody by the LAPD in a case of mistaken identity. As he was being released 15 hours later, he began having seizures and died soon after in a hospital emergency room. 
John Arviso, 41    |     8-Feb-98        Jail, Pelican Bay Prison  
Arviso died of severe facial and head trauma incurred in a fight probably instigated by prison guards on 2/22/98 and adminstered by his cellmate Carlos Castro, 35. 
David Torres, 29 Latino | 4-Feb-98 Jail, High Desert State Prison  
According to authorities, when ten Asians attacked eight Latinos, guards fired warning shots. The guards claim they shot and killed Torres to protect other inmates who were down and could not defend themselves. 
Michael Moore, 23  | 4-Feb-98 Shot, Oakland  
Police received a 911 call from a resident near their substation about a man pointing a shotgun at her mother. When police arrived, the caller was with two men who had arrived to help. Police chased and killed one of them, Michael Moore. Police claim a gun was found near his body. 
Carlos Topete, 26 |  27-Jan-98 Shot, Pittsburg  
Topete was chased through backyard fences and cornered. Police claim he opened fire on a SWAT team with submachine guns and wounded 2 officers. Topete was gunned down and killed. Police will not release how many shots he took. 
Unidentified, 57 Latino | 27-Jan-98 Jail, Santa Ana Jail  
Arrested on suspicion of a 1985 slaying, the victim was brought to the US from Mexico. He died 11 days later at the jail, allegedly of cardiac arrest. 
Paul Edward Sanchez, 44 |  26-Jan-98 Brutality, Jamestown, Tuolumne Co. 
Sanchez was picked up by cops three times in January. He claimed that he was beaten by the police at least two of those times. When he was admitted  to a hospital, he collapsed and went into a coma. He died three days later. 
Unidentified   21-Jan-98 Shot, Los Angeles 
According to police when a driver involved in a traffic stop tried to back into his patrol car, the officer got out of his car. Claiming the car was coming at him, CHP Sgt. Ernie Garcia shot and killed the driver. 
Tommy Carl Valdez, 29 Latino | 21-Jan-98 Shot, Sacramento – Sac Bee, 1/23/98  
A man was found talking to himself on Cal State University campus at the base of a storm drain. When he pointed what looked like a blue steel semi-atuomatic revolver at officers, CSUS police shot him six times and killed him. It was a toy gun. 
Theodore Paul Miodusewski, 37 | 20-Jan-98 Shot, San Diego – San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/22/98  
According to the police, the victim ran from police. When Miodusewski was caught from behind, he fired a gun over his shoulder at the officer but accidentally shot himself in the head. Police claim that initial reports that they had killed a man were incorrect. 
Unidentified            17-Jan-98 Shot, San Diego 
A woman reported two prowlers around 5 a.m. According to police when officers arrived, they found the rear door open. One officer went to front and other to rear and a robbery suspect was shot and killed. No other information or names were provided. 
Juan Gabriel Blanca, 28 Latino | 15-Jan-98 Shot, Santa Ana  
Juan Blanca went into a store where he is said to have acted strangely. When police were called, he left the store. When police arrived, an altercation erupted and Blanca was shot and killed. Police allege he tried to rob the store earlier. 
Tracy Johnson, 34 |  15-Jan-98 Jail, Solano Co. Jail  
Tracy Johnson, a former prison psychologist, had developed mental illness and drowned her 2-year old daughter. Before going to trial, she hung herself in her jail cell. 
Alfonso Hernandez, 16 Latino | 9-Jan-98 Shot, Visalia, Tulare County 
Alfonso Hernandez was shot 39 times and killed in a SWAT team raid. Police claim he killed Officer Rapozo during the raid on his apartment.  The SWAT team went to apartment complex to serve a warrant. The SWAT Team opened fire when Alfonso tried to defend himself. It was an apartment in a complex full of families with young children. Several bullets entered other apartments. Alfonso had witnessed his father's suicide when he was 8 years old. 
Albert Trujillo Flores, 46 Latino | 6-Jan-98 Shot, Oxnard – LA Times, 1/7/98  
Oxnard Officer Kujawa saw Flores riding his bike erratically. The officer claims that when he approached him, Flores threatened him with a screwdriver. He shot Flores in the head and chest several times and killed him. There were no witnesses. 
Unidentified   3-Jan-98 Shot, Sacramento – Sacramento Bee, 1/4/98  
Law enforcement initiated a ground and air chase by three police agencies and sheriffs claiming the unidentified man had threatened his father. Finally cornered by police on the ground and in the air, he was killed with one round when he allegedly pointed a gun at officers. 
Ronnie Caldwell Jr., 29 | 2-Jan-98 Shot, Ceres, Sacramento County 
When police tried to arrest him, Caldwell fled and was shot. When he started to get up, he was shot again in the back. Caldwell was unarmed; the community was outraged. One of the officers involved in the shooting, Detective Puryear, died five weeks later. Reports said Puryear's death was caused by opiate poisoning. 
Anthony Mosqueda, 17 Latino | 1-Jan-98 Shot, Montebello, L.A. County 
Anthony was running from a fight with some youth who tried to run him over with a car. Police claim Anthony was threatening them with a rifle when they shot and killed him. Anthony's family says he was unarmed and that he was shot in the back while running away. 

If you have information on cases or are interested in working on these issues, please contact me at kmsaari@wco.com.

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