District Attorney clears Indio officers involved in separate shootings in 2019
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin has cleared Indio police officers for their roles in two separate officer-involved shootings dating back to April 2019.
APRIL 10, 2019 SHOOTING
The first officer-involved shooting occurred on April 10, 2019. The suspect, Anthony Santana, 21, was fatally shot at the Las Palmas Apartments near the intersection of Las Palmas Road and Highway 111.
Police originally responded to a robbery outside of a restaurant on the 82100 block of Highway 111.
Santana was later found sitting near the carport of the apartment complex. Police said there was a firearm on a table within arms reach of Santana. The officers ordered Santana to get on the ground, but he lunged for the firearm and grabbed it in his hand, the DA's report reads.
The officers' report was corroborated by body camera footage, the DA report notes.
Hestrin concluded that the officers acted in "reasonable self-defense and therefore bear no criminal culpability for their actions."
April 30, 2019 shooting
The second shooting of the month occurred on April 30. Officers responded to a domestic violence call at a home on the 81200 block of Daffodil Court.
Police said a caller told dispatchers that the suspect, Rigoberto Ramirez, 48, would kill police and relatives in the home if officers showed up. A spokesperson for the department said when officers arrived, they found a man in the front yard holding what was believed to be a rifle.
Officers attempted to subdue Ramirez using "less-than-lethal" methods, but he did not put down the weapon -- which turned out to be a pellet gun.
With Ramirez still holding the weapon, an officer eventually opened fire, striking the suspect one time in the upper back, the DA's report shows.
Ramirez went back inside the home but came back out through the garage. Officers eventually wrestled Ramirez to the ground and him into custody.
A handgun also was found on Ramirez when he was taken into custody. The DA's report revealed that it was also found to be a pellet gun.
Ramirez was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was discharged hours later and interview by investigators, the DA confirmed. During the interview, Ramirez said he woke that day with suicidal feelings and a desire to be shot by the police.
In Oct. 2022, Ramirez pleaded guilty to assaulting an officer and was immediately sentenced to four years of formal probation.
Following the District Attorney's investigation, Hestrin concluded that the officer acted in "reasonable self-defense and in defense of other officers at the scene."
There was no criminal liability found on the part of the officer, Hestrin concluded.
