Man Pointed Gun at Officer Before Fatal Shooting

A man who was fatally shot by an Oxnard policeman had pointed a gun at the rookie officer shortly before he was killed, authorities said Tuesday.

Alfonso Bravo, 20, who died early Monday after a foot chase through a residential Oxnard neighborhood, pointed a loaded 9-mm semiautomatic gun at Officer Patrick Dolan, 29, before he was fatally wounded, police said.

Dolan had chased the suspect over a side-yard fence in the 3200 block of Taffrail Lane when Bravo stopped and pointed the weapon at him, police said. Dolan jumped back and fired four shots through the wooden fence, striking the victim four times in the back and side, authorities said.

Bravo was pronounced dead at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.

The incident marks the fourth time in about six months that Oxnard police officers have been involved in a fatal shooting. Two of the three other shootings have been ruled justified by the Ventura County district attorney’s office; and the third remains under investigation.

The most recent incident began about 1:30 a.m. Monday as a routine traffic stop on Victoria Avenue north of Channel Islands Boulevard. Dolan attempted to pull over a 1988 dark blue Mustang for a traffic violation.

The driver refused to stop and, after checking with dispatchers, Dolan was told that the car was reported stolen from Hollywood last week. Dolan followed the car onto Wooley Road where Bravo crashed it into a block wall. The suspect bolted out of the car and took off on foot, with Dolan in pursuit, police said.

Dolan has been placed on paid administrative leave during an investigation of the incident.