Forum Addresses Vista Fatal Shootings

[Brian503a]

www.10news.com

Forum Addresses Vista Fatal Shootings
Family Members Speak Out About Men Killed

POSTED: 9:33 am PDT August 10, 2005

VISTA, Calif. -- Three recent fatal shootings by sheriff's deputies were the subject of a forum Wednesday evening.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Sheriff Bill Kolender and other sheriff's officials attended the forum.

The three men killed in the shootings were Latino, leading to complaints from the Latino community.

The most active complaints have come from family members of the last man who was shot, 23-year-old Jesus Eduardo Manzo, who was killed on Aug. 1 near his Newport Drive home.

Members of Manzo's family have been distributing fliers publicizing the forum, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

"We cannot bring Jesus Manzo back, but maybe we can keep them from shooting your son, grandson or nephew!" the fliers said in English and Spanish.

According to homicide detectives, Manzo ran when deputies tried to question him about an auto theft, then reached for what turned out to be a Leatherman-type tool. The deputy who shot Manzo thought he was reaching for a gun, Capt. Clay Reynard said.

Manzo was an ex-convict who had served time for auto theft, burglary, drugs and resisting an officer.

Deputies also shot to death an armed robbery suspect in the 700 block of Shadowridge Drive on July 29, and a man who allegedly attacked them with dumbbells in the 800 block of North Citrus Avenue on July 28.

The Sheriff's Department is looking at solutions, 10News reported.

"The captain up there is saying 'Can I redistrict what I have? Can we take deputies from elsewhere and at least on a temporary basis, place them up there?'" Captain Glenn Revell said.

Another consideration is to put more Spanish speakers in patrol cars to improve communications with residents, 10News reported.

[ArthurC]

www.10news.com

Forum Addresses Vista Fatal Shootings
Family Members Speak Out About Men Killed

POSTED: 9:33 am PDT August 10, 2005

VISTA, Calif. -- Three recent fatal shootings by sheriff's deputies were the subject of a forum Wednesday evening.

"We cannot bring Jesus Manzo back, but maybe we can keep them from shooting your son, grandson or nephew!" the fliers said in English and Spanish.

According to homicide detectives, Manzo ran when deputies tried to question him about an auto theft, then reached for what turned out to be a Leatherman-type tool. The deputy who shot Manzo thought he was reaching for a gun, Capt. Clay Reynard said.

Manzo was an ex-convict who had served time for auto theft, burglary, drugs and resisting an officer.

Deputies also shot to death an armed robbery suspect in the 700 block of Shadowridge Drive on July 29, and a man who allegedly attacked them with dumbbells in the 800 block of North Citrus Avenue on July 28.

Another consideration is to put more Spanish speakers in patrol cars to improve communications with residents, 10News reported.

Now let me see if I got this right... Sheriff deputies went to question a known felon with a history od resisiting arrest about a auto theift and this honor student of the country jail ran from them then, reached into his pocket for something when he was cornered. Only one deputy shot him and they didn't empty their guns on him? If that was NYC he would have looked like a cheese grater.
And this other poster child for citizen of the year... an armed robbery suspect. I'll grant you dumbbells are not as leather as a Glock 9mm but they will still ruin your night if your hit in the head with one.

I like how these folks took time to post flyers to get people to support them in their greif. Yes it would be a shame for ANY other son, nephew, or grandson to die because they got stupid when a cop asked them some questions. Oh there is away to prevent the sons, nephews, and grandsons from getting killed by the police.
Don't do the crime. don't run from the law, and don't make any fast moves when they come for you!

I wounder how many millions Jesus's family is asking for in their suit.

[Brian503a]

Found another article with a photograph. Too bad the media missed the opportunity to show all the protesters waving their Mexican flags.


www.signonsandiego.com


Killings by deputies denounced


Anger erupts at Vista forum after 3 shootings in 5 days
By Adam Klawonn and Jenny Shearer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
August 11, 2005


Rosalindo Castro, 4, and Ivan Manzo, 9, held photos of their uncle, Jesus Manzo, in front of his Vista house. He was killed by sheriff's deputies.

VISTA – A public forum that city and law enforcement officials offered as a goodwill gesture after a string of fatal, deputy-involved shootings was upstaged last night by community anger.

The two-hour meeting was pitched as a way to heal a city, featuring a question-and-answer session with San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Mayor Morris Vance and Vista's police chief, sheriff's Capt. Rob Ahern.

Instead, it consisted of inflammatory questions, shouts, jeers, insults and personal stories from Latinos who felt three deadly shootings in a five-day period was a poignant reminder of deeper racial issues in Vista. After an hour, the panel stopped answering questions. Vance spent most of the time looking at his hands.

"This was to be expected," City Manager Rita Geldert said as she watched from the crowd. "It just means that we need to listen (to the Latino community)."

The forum was called after a deputy shot Jesus Eduardo Manzo dead Aug. 1 after a foot chase in Vista's predominantly Latino Townsite neighborhood.

About 70 of Manzo's family members and friends walked to the meeting from Townsite, waving pictures of the 23-year-old and signs that read, "Vista Latino Community Demands Respect" and "Stop Police Brutality."

They were joined by others such as Sylvia Ramos, who lost her son Sergio in a deputy-involved shooting in Vista a few years ago; Julian Lee, 38, who won a recent lawsuit against authorities for wrongful arrest; and lawyer Doug Gilliland, who represented Lee and is now working for Nancy Manzo Mendez, Jesus' sister.

Gilliland said the family wants an outside investigation of the shooting.

After arriving at Lincoln Middle School, they and others peppered the panel with pointed questions. About 350 attended, with one boy in the back holding a large Mexican flag.

The first question asked why sheriff's deputies do not respond to calls for drug-dealing activities, then the questioner urged deputies to use other methods to stop alleged criminals besides killing them.

The audience applauded.

Ahern explained that deputies have a "toolbox" of methods, and that they bring all of the tools in the toolbox when they're not sure what they might face.

"We are aware of your concerns about our toolbox, and that is part of the investigation. Thank you," he said.

Panelists declined to answer direct questions about any of the shootings.

At one point, the crowd chanted "Justice! Justice!" in Spanish while stomping their feet.

Manzo was the last of three men killed in Vista by sheriff's deputies over a five-day period.

On July 28, deputies went to a residence in the Townsite area after two men reported that their roommate was acting bizarrely.

Sheriff's officials later said three deputies found Sergio Garcia-Vasquez, 32, in a bedroom. They said he became violent and attacked Deputies Shawn Aitken and John Spach with dumbbells, and they shot and killed him.

On July 29, deputies tried to pull over two men in a Jeep on Lupine Hills Drive after an armed robbery at a local convenience store. Both men ran and Deputy Mark Ritchie, shot the driver, Jorge Ramirez, as he reached into his clothes.

Ramirez, 26, was listed on a local gang injunction a judge recently granted. Ramirez later died.

On Aug. 1, Manzo was in front of his family's home when deputies arrived to question him about a stolen car and whether he was on the gang injunction.

Officials said Manzo ran from deputies, who chased him with the help of a police dog, and when he climbed a fence near the family home he reached for his hip while approaching a deputy. Deputy Lew Schott fired once. Manzo fell into the driveway and died.

Some of those attending last night's forum said the event was helpful. Others said it flopped and that relations between Latino residents and law enforcement are still strained.

Ramirez's fiancee, Amanda Tongate, said she was hoping that the panel "would give us some kind of answer that it's going to change."

Nancy Manzo Mendez and her husband, Luis Enrique Mendez, were so frustrated that they declined comment.

When asked if the forum helped, Frank Nunez, 30, of Vista, said, "Definitely not.

"This is just wasting time," he said.

Others, like Robb Scheele, 51, of Vista, said they appreciated both sides but supported the sheriff's position that the shootings were justified.

"If it was me and a cop was running after me, I'd do what he says," Scheele said. "That guy has a gun, and he's trained to know deadly force."

Afterward, Vance said the heated forum was worth it.

"It gave (the community) a chance to let us know their frustrations – in a big way."

[ArthurC]

You'll notice that they showing his gradulation picture, not his jail house mug shot,
I would have loved to have the police what they suppose to do when a felon with a history of voilence againest law enforcement make a move that could be reaching for a weapon.
I'd say it safe to say that even if young Jesus had a gun and used it to shoot a deputy these folks would still be condeming the sheriffs dept.
Even the fact that these folks know nothing about what being a law enforcement office is like.

Maybe someone in that room should have reminded that brat with the Mexicain flag what country he was in.

[Brian503a]

It appears one of the families is looking for a pot of gold from the shootings.


www.10news.com

Shooting Victim's Family Files Claims
Sisters Say They Want Justice For Brother's Death

POSTED: 3:49 pm PDT August 12, 2005

VISTA, Calif. -- A Vista family made a tearful plea for justice Friday afternoon in the shooting death of their brother.

Sheriff's deputies shot 23-year-old Jesus Manzo earlier this month in Vista.

Now, they're taking a customary step before actually suing the county. The family filed three claims for $10 million each on behalf of Manzo, his baby girl and his mother.

But his sisters said what is most important is getting justice for everyone involved in the Vista shootings.

The horror Maria Melchor says she witnessed is difficult to imagine.

She said she heard the shots and ran outside to see her brother -- already dead -- being mauled by police dogs.

Now the sisters want to find out why Manzo and two other young Hispanic men were killed by sheriff's deputies in less than a week.

Sheriff's officials originally thought Manzo was a gang member, but were later proved wrong.

They said he ran from deputies and appeared to pull something out of his pocket.

At a community forum earlier this week, Sheriff Bill Kolender promised a thorough investigation.

But Manzo's attorney wants more and is requesting the FBI be allowed to conduct an independent investigation.

Manzo's sisters want to set their brother's record straight, saying he was not perfect, but was not in a gang and did not deserve to die this way.

The sheriff's department could not comment Friday.

The Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board says it will review this case. That is standard procedure, but the board is also calling for an independent audit of the sheriff's department, given the fact that so many shootings happened in the same area in such a short period of time.

[Defens]

I just love those OH woe is me, the police shot someone stories in So Cal. Let's see in South Central LA there were 503 murders in 2003. That is 1.37 murders per day!!! Now we have a few police involved shootings and like chicken littles the community leaders start marching in the streets. 55,000 to 80,000 gang members committing over 500 murders a year = no problem, police shoot 10 armed suspects = BIG Problem. Is it just me or is this upside down???[/u]