A California court of appeals panel upheld a former rookie Los Angeles police officer’s murder conviction on Thursday.
Henry Solis, 34, was convicted of fatally shooting 23-year-old Salome Rodriguez, Jr., while off-duty outside a bar in Pomona in 2015. The conviction for second-degree murder was handed down in 2020.
Solis was a probationary officer who worked at the LAPD’s Devonshire Division in the San Fernando Valley. He was terminated from the force after killing Rodriguez and fleeing the country, triggering a manhunt that took weeks.
The former cop was eventually tracked down in the Mexican city of Juarez. He had been employed by the LAPD for about four months at the time of the shooting.
Solis claimed he was trying to arrest Rodriguez when he discharged his weapon. He said he had been robbed and sexually assaulted by two men inside the restroom of the Pomona bar, and suspected Rodriguez was involved.
Prosecutors pointed to video footage taken from surveillance cameras placed along the street nearby the bar that captured an interaction between Solis and Rodriguez. It suggested the shooting arose from a verbal altercation between the two.
Prosecutors told the jury they suspected Solis felt “disrespected” by another bar patron, and shot Rodriguez in an act of mistaken vengeance. He reportedly told a roommate shortly after the incident that he had “messed up” and “killed somebody.”
In its 22-page ruling, the appellate court panel wrote, “Contrary to Solis’ suggestions, the jury was not compelled to find that he was attempting to arrest Rodriguez as a law enforcement officer.”
It noted that Solis’ actions after the shooting—failing to alert colleagues or call for backup, and fleeing the scene—did not suggest he felt his actions were conducted in the line of duty.
“That Solis was acting as a law enforcement officer was further contradicted by testimony from multiple witnesses who observed him shove and argue with Rodriguez before the shooting,” the panel wrote.
Solis is serving a 40-year-to-life state prison sentence.
After his trial court conviction in 2020, the victim’s mother, Lidia Rodriguez, told reporters Solis’ conviction “should have been first-degree [murder], but I’m good with second degree.”