Deputy Kills Man Who Kicked In Wrong Door

A man looking for a drug dealer at a Simi Valley apartment complex was shot to death early Tuesday after he mistakenly kicked in the door to the apartment of a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, police said.

Both the deputy and his wife shot John Little, 26, of Simi Valley after Little forced his way into the couple’s upper-level apartment at about 1:30 a.m., Simi Valley Police Lt. Rick TerBorch said.

Little was searching for a drug dealer whom he had paid for an eighth of a gram of cocaine at a Simi Valley restaurant but who had not returned with the drug, TerBorch said.

Little tried several units in the Meadowood apartment complex in the 1700 block of Cochran Street before knocking on the door of the apartment occupied by the off-duty deputy, Joe Mario Grasso, 25, and his wife Robin, Lt. Don Austin said.

After asking whether the drug dealer lived there, Little was told he was at the wrong apartment, but he began kicking the door until it opened, Austin said.

Grasso then identified himself as a police officer, ordered Little to “freeze” and called police, the lieutenant said.

Little, who was unarmed, lunged at Grasso and was shot once in his upper body, police said. Little then ran from the apartment, started down the stairs, then turned and shouted that he was going to kill the deputy, Austin said.

Using his service revolver, Grasso shot several times at Little outside the apartment while his wife, believing her husband had been shot, rushed to the door and fired several times with another gun, Austin said.

Little, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was struck three times in his upper body, police said.

The purported drug dealer, who was not identified, was questioned by police but was not arrested, TerBorch said.

Neither Grasso nor his wife was arrested or detained, Austin said. An investigation of the incident is continuing, he said.

Grasso is a two-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department assigned to the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho, the County Jail complex in Castaic, Deputy James Morrow said.