SANTA ANA (AP) – Orange County prosecutors have found that a Garden Grove police officer acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a man during a 2011 foot pursuit.
The district attorney’s office said Thursday that Officer Steven Tran acted within reason when he shot 19-year-old Wilfredo Ayala.
Prosecutors who investigated the shooting say officers were chasing Ayala after receiving a 911 call about him.
Prosecutors say Ayala was accused of robbing and raping a female victim on Jan. 15, 2011. Authorities say she and a friend contacted Ayala the following day in an effort to retrieve her stolen cell phone and called police.
Prosecutors say Ayala ran when officers arrived and Tran shot him when he reached for his waist, believing he had a gun. It was later determined to be a holster.
