S.B. County Justifies 3 Shootings

Three officer-involved shootings by Fontana police officers in the last several months were declared justified by the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office Wednesday.

The first shooting occurred March 25 when an officer allegedly was assaulted with a metal pipe and rocks.

The second occurred June 1, when a man led a police officer on a car chase and allegedly shot at him during the pursuit. After a crash, the man emerged from the car with a hostage at gunpoint, and a police sergeant shot and wounded the man, police said. A search of the car later turned up a dead body, police said.

The sergeant involved in that incident is being awarded the department’s highest award, according to Fontana Police Chief Frank J. Scialdone.

In the third shooting, June 11, a detective returned fire after a man allegedly began shooting at him. The man and two other people were later apprehended.

The district attorney’s office announcement comes less than three months after a city review of the Police Department’s use-of-force and deadly-force policies following three in-custody deaths in a six-month span last year. The report’s summary released in May found that there was no misconduct by officers.