Sheriff's Office releases surveillance video of a deadly off-duty officer shooting at Melody Market
By: Just before 8 p.m., two vehicles, with four occupants in each vehicle, arrived separately at Melody Market, according to the Sheriff's Office. One of the occupants of the vehicles was 19-year-old Jose Manuel Reyes Rios of Santa Maria.
Moments later, an ofduty Santa Maria Police officer arrived in his personal vehicle with his family, according to the Sheriff's Office. A fourth vehicle, with a woman and her two children also arrived at the market.
While the ofduty officer and the woman were inside the store, the two groups from the other vehicles reportedly engaged in a physical altercation in the parking lot.
The ofduty officer, who remains unnamed, had returned to his vehicle at the same time that Rios allegedly brandished a firearm and shot at the other group, striking one of them. Rios paused in his shooting, running past the ofduty officer who had drawn his firearm and police badge, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The ofduty officer verbally identified himself as an officer and ordered Rios to stop shooting and surrender. Rios did not comply with the ofduty police officer’s command, raising his firearm and shooting again at the other group and towards an occupied restaurant, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The shooting resulted in injury to one of the patrons from flying debris caused by Rios’ shooting. The ofduty police officer reportedly fired at Rios until he dropped to the ground and called emergency services on his cell phone, ushered the uninvolved bystanders into the market and sheltered them inside until deputies arrived.
Rios was pronounced dead at the scene with a ghost gun in his possession, according to the Sheriff's Office. The remainder of the people who were involved in the altercation, including the person shot by Rios, fled the scene prior to deputies’ arrival.
A Coroner’s investigation into the shooting has preliminarily determined that Rios died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Sheriff's Office. The final cause and manner of death is pending toxicology.
The Sheriff’s Office released a short video clip from the Melody Market security cameras that reportedly shows Rios, who is wearing a red ed sweatshirt, during his first round of shooting. Shown are the seconds just before the ofduty officer intervened in the incident.