Colleagues Goaded Officer Into Gunfire, Lawyer Says

A former Santa Ana police officer who lost his job after he admitted firing his gun in the air following a night of drinking did so only after being “goaded and taunted” by fellow officers, according to his attorney.

Paul Coulter, 26, admitted being one of seven officers who went to the roof of the Orange County Transit District parking structure after spending a night in a Tustin bar last June. About 2:30 a.m. on June 18, five of the officers fired their weapons, and at least one bullet broke a window and lodged in a wall of Orange County Supervisor Roger R. Stanton’s office, according to the city’s investigation.

The two officers who didn’t fire their weapons were given suspensions. Two of the five who did fire, James Bland and Scott Zimmerman, resigned, and the other three, Jill Tangedal, Jesse Teshima and Coulter, were fired.

Seeks to Regain Job

Coulter’s attorney, Malcolm Guleserian, said at a hearing Wednesday night that his client got into his jeep and tried to leave the rooftop after the shooting began. The others began taunting him, calling him names until Coulter finally fired one shot in the air, Guleserian said.

Coulter is attempting to persuade the city’s six-member Personnel Board to give him his job back. A hearing before the board lasted four hours Wednesday night and is to continue next Wednesday night, when Guleserian said he will call Coulter to testify.

After the incident, according to Deputy City Atty. Terrence Grace, Coulter and the other officers conspired to “cover up” the shooting and came forward only after Coulter was offered a 90-day suspension as punishment if he would testify against the others. Coulter didn’t accept right away, and the deal was withdrawn when Tangedal and Teshima revealed the details of the gunfire, Grace said, adding that he believes that the terms of the offer were leaked to the other officers.

But Guleserian said Coulter did not participate in meetings to coordinate cover-up stories and felt great remorse about the shooting. He said Coulter, who had been a police officer about two years, didn’t reveal all the details because of peer pressure to protect his fellow officers.

Three police officials, Lt. Bruce Carlson, Sgt. Collie Provence and Deputy Police Chief Eugene Hansen, all testified Wednesday that they believe that the decision to fire Coulter was justified, although he had been a competent police officer. Hansen said reinstating Coulter would seriously affect department morale and would be especially serious in light of community outrage over private citizens firing guns into the air last New Year’s Eve.

‘Adverse Effect’

“It would have an adverse effect on the entire profession of law enforcement,” Hansen said.

The deputy chief said some police officials had nicknamed the group the Magnificent Seven. He said that the gunfire issue had arisen in talks before community groups and that the incident had been widely reported throughout the country.

Carlson said termination is warranted for either the gunplay or the cover-up. But he cited the dishonesty as the more serious problem. “Honesty is a very important aspect of our work,” he said.

Provence said he believes that Coulter could be a good police officer but not in Santa Ana because of the “tremendous embarrassment” of the incident.