Video shows deputies fatally shooting mentally ill Moreno Valley man wielding a spiked club

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has released footage of deputies fatally shooting a 33-year-old mentally ill man at a Moreno Valley home on Feb. 6.

In audio footage of the 911 call, the mother of Moreno Valley resident Jesus Antonio Rodriguez told a dispatcher she had a “5150 son” who had been behaving more “out of control yesterday and today.” Rodriguez’s mother said he was aggressive but had not hit anyone.

The 5150 police code refers to a law allowing a mentally disturbed person to be involuntarily detained for psychiatric evaluation if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco says in the edited video that the mother also saw her son smoking an unknown substance while under the influence of alcohol.

Deputies responded to the residence at the 25400 block of Filaree Avenue around 12:31 p.m., entered the home, and approached Rodriguez’s bedroom. In the video, Bianco said officers stood at the bedroom doorway and attempted to talk to the man to de-escalate the situation.

The sound of glass breaking and Rodriguez yelling in his room can be heard in the video.

Bodycam footage from the first deputy shows two armed deputies at the doorway telling Rodriguez, who was holding a 30-inch makeshift spiked wooden bat, to “drop it” several times. Rodriguez can be heard saying “go for it,” and “come on, shoot,” multiple times.

One deputy tells the other officer to use his taser as Rodriguez continues telling officers to shoot him. The deputy makes one final attempt and tells him to drop the bat, to which Rodriguez refuses and says, “No, you broke my window.”.

Video and audio footage show the man was tased twice, with no apparent effect, as he continued approaching both deputies within swinging distance of his bat.

Bodycam footage then shows the first deputy firing three shots at Rodriguez as he swung toward the other officer. In the video, Bianco said paramedics pronounced Rodriguez dead upon arrival.

The investigation of the shooting is ongoing and being led by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, which will ultimately review the case. Investigators with the Sheriff’s Department are assisting in the probe, Bianco said.

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