COSTA MESA UNPLUGGED:

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department on Monday released the findings of its five-week probe into the March 8 shooting death of Shaun Adam Vilan by off-duty Costa Mesa Police Officer Scott Dibble, a nine-year veteran of the city’s law enforcement squad, outside of a Mexican restaurant in Old Town Temecula.

The investigation concluded that Dibble acted in self-defense when he drew his gun and fired five shots, killing Vilan and wounding Taylor Willis, reportedly a friend of Vilan’s.

Riverside County prosecutors are reviewing the investigation’s findings to determine whether any criminal charges are warranted in the case.

The Costa Mesa Police Department continues to conduct an internal investigation of Dibble’s actions and the events leading up to the shooting.

Reports of the investigation’s findings reveal this much: Dibble — a father of four — and apparently his wife were in Temecula with friends on a wine country excursion with friends.

Vilan, his 7-year-old son, his two half-brothers, his girlfriend and an unidentified number of his friends were in Temecula for the Rod Run, a twice yearly showcase of pre-1974 muscle cars.

According to the investigation, the Dibble and Vilan parties were dining separately at the Bank of Mexican Food restaurant in Old Town.

While in the restaurant, Dibble reportedly grabbed the backside of a woman he thought was his wife. She was not. Instead, the woman was the girlfriend of a man in Vilan’s party.

The sheriff’s investigation reported Dibble apologized for grabbing the woman.

Not feeling well, Dibble later went outside to take in some fresh air.

The report says that while Dibble was sitting down, Vilan, Willis and a number of unidentified men attacked Dibble, allegedly hitting him in the back of the head with a chair.

Dazed and bleeding from his head, Dibble was repeatedly kicked and punched even as he reportedly identified himself as a police officer and, according to witnesses, displayed his badge.

Nonetheless, Vilan — a parolee with two convictions for violent, unprovoked assaults — Willis and others continued the attack, according to the investigation. Dibble then drew his weapon and fired, striking Vilan in the chest and arm, and Willis in the leg.

Accepting the investigation’s findings at face value, it’s clear Dibble had no options other than the use of deadly force to defend his life. It’s equally plain Vilan was a walking powder keg whose tendencies for really off-the-charts violence finally cost him his.

But the lasting, awful tragedy is that a small boy is now fatherless, left with the troubling images of his father’s violent death. And, perhaps, a festering resentment of law enforcement.

I can’t imagine, either, that Dibble, his wife or his kids are having an easy psychological time of it.

The mental gymnastics have to be pretty daunting. I mean, how does Dibble explain to his children why a man attacked him and why he had to kill that man?

What’s worse is that none of it had to happen.

There are no winners here. Only losers. Plenty of ’em.

BYRON DE ARAKAL is a former Costa Mesa parks and recreation commissioner. Readers can reach him at cmunplugged@yahoo.com.