San Diego

San Diego police were legally justified in shooting to death a burglary suspect last November who grabbed a semiautomatic pistol from one of the officers and fired at another, the district attorney’s office said Thursday.

Three officers had responded to a burglary call in City Heights and, upon arrival, found Jimmy Ray Reeves sitting in a cardboard box in someone else’s back yard. As the officers approached, Reeves ran, and Officer Edward Rosenbloom chased him, finally catching up.

Reeves allegedly grabbed Rosenbloom’s gun and began firing at another officer, Diane Hall, who was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Hall reportedly yelled to the other officers: “I’m down. I’m down. I’m hit.”

Rosenbloom got his gun back, and Reeves began running. Hall and Officer Cheryl Dean began shooting at Reeves.

Rosenbloom reportedly chased Reeves to the front of the house and fired two shots, killing Reeves.

The report said that Reeves had been shot in the right lower abdomen, through his thigh, and in the back of the head.

Police are legally justified in using deadly force “if a reasonable person under the same or similar circumstances would have believed that such use was necessary to prevent great bodily injury to oneself or another.”

In the case of Reeves, the officers were justified in shooting after he fired at Hall, the district attorney’s office said.