The San Diego County District Attorney’s office announced Wednesday that the fatal shooting in May of a Torrey Pines High School student by two San Diego Police officers was legally justified.
The officers responded to a 911 call to check on the welfare of a teenage boy in the parking lot at the front of the Torrey Pines High School campus. According to police, when the officers arrived the teenager pulled a pistol from his waistband and aimed it at them. After failing to obey their directions to drop the pistol, the teenager was fatally shot by the officers. The pistol was later determined to be an Airsoft pistol.
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In a statement, the DA’s office said that investigators found evidence that showed the teenager, who placed the initial 911 call, had planned the incident. The DA’s office found the officers do not bear criminal liability for their actions.
Body camera video of the shooting will not be released. DA spokesman Steve Walker explained the reasons why in a written statement:
"This was a terrible tragedy for the boy’s family, friends, classmates, and the community in which he lived. His mother has requested the video not be released to avoid additional suffering and anguish for the family and we are respecting her wishes to maintain her family’s privacy. Understandably, she does not want the details of what led up to her son’s shooting to be shared with the public. Release of the video and extensive details of the shooting would also undoubtedly cause further trauma to students and teachers at Torrey Pines High School. Seeing video images of the last moments of a 15-year old boy’s life does not serve a public interest, in this instance."
The DA’s office also said releasing the video might influence other minors.
