A shooting by a Long Beach Unified School District police officer that left a teenager brain dead may have violated policy, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Long Beach police said that an LBUSD school safety officer saw the victim, Mona Rodriguez, 18, get into an altercation with another girl near Millikan High School on Monday. When Rodriguez tried to leave, the safety officer approached Rodriguez’s car and fired his weapon as it pulled away.
Police said Rodriguez was hit in the upper body, but her family said she was shot in the head. She was declared “brain dead” and was initially scheduled to be taken off life support on Thursday, but the family said during a presser on Friday it would happen in the next 24 hours.
Even though school safety officers are armed, they are not meant to fill the same role as police officers or sheriff’s deputies, according to a police representative.
“[School safety officers] don’t investigate crimes,” LBUSD spokesperson Chris Eftychiou told the Long Beach Post. “The police do that. SSOs do not arrest but can detain pending an investigation by law enforcement. Deadly force is allowed in self defense or in defense of others to prevent death and great bodily injury.”
The main purpose of the job is to protect students.
According to LUSD’s school safety officer job posting, duties of the position include “identify and intervene in conflicts between individual and groups of students or others and de-escalate situations; assist students to problem-solve issues and resolve conflicts in a positive and constructive manner.”
Video of the shooting was posted on social media.
The Times showed the video to experts who found no justification for the safety officer’s actions.
“There was no imminent threat to his life as the car sped away from him,” retired Los Angeles police Sgt. Cheryl Dorsey told the Times.
Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina law professor and former Florida officer added, “The car isn’t a threat, so there is no justification for the use of deadly force here.”
The school safety officer has reportedly been placed on leave.
Long Beach police and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office were conducting investigations into the shooting as of Wednesday.
Rodriguez's family has established a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral arrangements, legal fees and costs associated with providing for Rodriguez's child.