Officers’ deadly shooting of suspect at Sioux City parking ramp found legally justified
By: At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis said the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation finished its investigation of the incident that took place in the early hours of January 8. After reviewing the information, Loomis said he found their shooting of Salvador Perez-Garcia, 55, of Sioux City, was legally justified.
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A Sioux City patrol officer was parked in the casino’s parking garage at about 4 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 8. While parked, he reportedly saw a white truck ram headfirst into his patrol vehicle.
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The driver of the truck was 55-year-old Salvador Perez-Garcia of Sioux City, the release states. While trying to exit the parking garage, Perez-Garcia encountered other responding officers. He then allegedly drove into a second patrol vehicle and got out of the truck “swinging a length of chain with an affixed metal object.”
The release says that the officers were not able to disarm him or otherwise de-escalate the situation. As Perez-Garcia allegedly kept swinging the chain and walking towards them, police shot him, killing him at the scene despite attempts to save his life after the shots were fired.
The officers were put on paid administrative leave. Their names were not released.
Perez-Garcia was previously involved in an alleged stand-off at a downtown apartment building in Oct. 2022. He was allegedly making threats with a firearm.
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“Upon my review of all the evidence, I conclude that the fatal shooting of Salvador Perez-Garcia by Sioux City police officers was legally justified. His violent aggression was planned and targeted at law enforcement,” Loomis said.
“His attack on officers with the Sioux City Police Department placed those officer's lives in immediate danger. The use of deadly force was justified to put an end to that immediate danger.”
Loomis added that no criminal charges are not warranted against the officers and that he considers the investigation closed.
Police Chief Rex Mueller also spoke at the press conference, saying Perez-Garcia’s actions were deliberate.
“Make no mistake, this was a deliberate and premeditated ambush on officers. Investigation by DCI and our own internal investigation revealed the suspect had a documented contempt for law enforcement. The night of the shooting, he was actively seeking the attention of law enforcement to force a confrontation.”
Mueller said both officers reacted reasonably to the incident and were justified, saying the entire attack on officers was less than 17 seconds with officers giving repeated commands.