CAMARILLO : Department Inquiry Exonerates Deputy
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday that a deputy who shot and paralyzed an unarmed, fleeing suspect on Feb. 14 acted properly.
Undersheriff Larry Carpenter said Tuesday that Linda Hagemann faces no disciplinary actions for firing a single shotgun blast that hit Daniel Moreno, 24, of Oxnard as he fled a Camarillo shoe store.
Moreno was left paralyzed by the shotgun pellet that hit him in the back of his head and penetrated his brain. He is still hospitalized in serious but stable condition at the Ventura County Medical Center.
A 12-week department investigation--including 55 interviews and some re-enactments of the shooting--showed that Hagemann’s response followed the department’s written policy on the use of deadly force, Carpenter said.
Hagemann’s assertion that she was concerned for her safety and the safety of others is backed up by witnesses, Carpenter said.
Carpenter refused to discuss the shooting in greater detail, citing a petition filed in Ventura County Superior Court on April 27 by Moreno’s father, Francisco Moreno. The petition seeks to preserve evidence for use in a future lawsuit against Ventura County, Sheriff John Gillespie, the city of Camarillo, the Camarillo Police Department and Hagemann.
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