Santa Ana Suspends 3 Officers Involved in Shooting Incident

Three Santa Ana police officers under investigation for firing shots that broke windows at an Orange County supervisor’s office have been placed on administrative leave and notified that they may be fired, sources close to the investigation said Tuesday.

Seven officers are accused of being involved in the 3 a.m. incident on June 18, but only five are believed to have fired shots. Those five include the three placed on leave and two who already have resigned from the force, sources said.

Police Chief Raymond Davis on Tuesday would not confirm whether any of the officers--whom the Police Department has refused to identify--is facing termination. Nor would he or his deputies discuss the results of the department’s internal investigation of the incident.

The results of a separate, criminal investigation of the incident have been turned over to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Deputy Dist. Atty. Maurice L. Evans said Tuesday no decision had been made on whether charges will be filed.

Terse Press Release

Davis and his deputies referred questions to police press officers, who would not elaborate on a three-sentence prepared statement that said:

“The Santa Ana Police Department disciplinary process is moving forward and officers have been notified of the department’s intended action. They have four days to ask for a due-process hearing. No decision has been announced by the district attorney’s office on the pending criminal charges.”

The shooting incident began as an impromptu celebration on top of an Orange County Transit District parking structure by several officers, some of whom reportedly had worked a swing shift ending by 12:30 a.m. The celebration, in downtown Santa Ana, marked the end of a probationary period for some rookie officers, according to sources.

“From what I know, it was a choir practice type of thing,” said Donald Blankenship, president of the Santa Ana Police Officers Benevolent Assn., referring to off-duty activities of police officers portrayed in a popular novel by author Joseph Wambaugh called “Choir Boys.”

Slugs Lodged in Wall

Two of the bullets fired from the parking garage broke windows and then lodged high in a wall of an aide to Supervisor Roger Stanton.

No one was in Stanton’s offices at the time, and no one was injured. The offices are on the fifth floor of the Orange County Hall of Administration and about level with the top of the parking structure, frequently the only parking available when swing shift officers are arriving for work.

Although police officials would not comment Tuesday on the investigation or threatened discipline, Capt. Robert Stebbins, whose division conducted the department’s internal investigation, Monday characterized the alleged gunfire as “a big deal.”

Stebbins, who was not directly involved in the internal investigation, said officers routinely investigate reports of stray bullets and make arrests in such incidents, particularly on holidays.

“And then we have officers involved in this thing. Clearly . . . they ought to know better. It’s embarrassing to our department. . . . And you can be assured that whatever discipline they get will be much harsher than what they would ever get in court.”

No Action Against Pair

Vice Mayor P. Lee Johnson said Tuesday that no action against the two officers still on the force who were with the group that evening is contemplated because they weren’t involved in the shooting.

“It sounds to me like justice was served,” Johnson said of the action against the three who were placed on leave. “Shooting at buildings for the hell of it by police officers, on or off duty, is not acceptable behavior and termination sounds like the correct response.”

Johnson, a former police officer, expressed anger late last month over the fact that the incident was not reported to the City Council until six weeks after it happened.

Resigned From Force

Two of the off-duty officers who allegedly fired shots, James Bland and Scott Zimmerman, resigned after the incident, according to sources. They have said it is not clear whether personal concerns such as family illnesses or the internal and criminal investigations by the Police Department prompted the resignations.

Notices of disciplinary action such as those received by the three officers under investigation are intended to alert officers that they are facing hearings. Until hearings are held, the officers remain on paid leave, Blankenship said.

Seth Kelsey, an attorney for the Police Officers Benevolent Assn., said the hearings, at which officers have the opportunity to present any mitigating facts or circumstances, probably will be held late this week or early next week.

“If the department allows them to remain employed,” Kelsey added, “I personally would advise them to forgo any appeal.”