Brief Life, Tearful Farewell : Joseph Pulido, Shot by Police, Is Laid to Rest

The short life and abrupt death of a teenager fatally shot by a police officer was remembered in two ceremonies Wednesday as family and friends gathered first at an early morning funeral and then joined community activists for a dusk candlelight vigil at the shooting scene.

At funeral services at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, scores of weeping relatives and grim-faced teens gathered to mourn Joseph Pulido, 17, a gang member who was shot a week ago while fleeing police. Police say he was armed with a gun, which the family disputes.

Hours after the service, more tears and a procession of candles gave an eerie feel to the feed store parking lot where the youth died.

“We came here tonight to mourn the loss of a fellow brother because we care,” said Zeke Hernandez, a Santa Ana businessman, who attended the candlelight vigil organized by Los Amigos de Orange County.

More than 30 people, including Pulido’s mother, Elizabeth Pulido, and two of his sisters, encircled the spot where he died and offered prayers in remembrance of the youth, and more than 70 other victims who have died violently in Santa Ana this year.

An undercurrent of anger was evident at both ceremonies. Many of Pulido’s family and friends have questioned the circumstances of his death. Authorities have said Pulido was shot in the right, rear shoulder as he brandished a gun and fled from police.

“I just want to know why, why this had to happen,” one young mourner said as Pulido’s casket was ushered from the church. “Shot in the back--that’s just not right. We all want answers.”

Police officials have released only partial accounts of the shooting and say few additional details will be available until the investigations are complete. A release issued last week states that Pulido, a known gang member, was armed with a stolen gun and was being chased on foot by an officer in the 200 block of McClay Street.

Police have declined to name the officer involved, although department spokesman Lt. Robert Helton said the officer had been cleared by a department psychologist to resume work and returned to patrol on Wednesday.

Sources close to the investigation have said the shooter was Officer Ernie Conde, recently named by his peers as 1995 Officer of the Year. One source said Conde’s account of the incident is that he opened fire when Pulido aimed a gun over his shoulder.

The Pulido family, though, has said the teen was unarmed and likely ran from police because he was afraid of violating his probation. Pulido, who had been convicted of car theft, had been standing with some underage youths who were drinking, a probation violation for him, when officers approached the group.

A .357 magnum was found in a nearby yard. Helton said Wednesday that he did not believe it has been tested for fingerprints yet.

Three separate investigations of the shooting are underway, Helton said.

Santa Ana police detectives are conducting a criminal investigation, while the department’s internal affairs investigators have begun their own probe. The Orange County district attorney’s office is running a third independent investigation, a routine procedure for officer-involved shootings.

The supervisor of the district attorney’s investigation could not be reached Wednesday for comment, but a colleague said the office has assigned four investigators to the case. Investigations of officer-involved shootings typically take 90 to 100 days, but that time frame can vary widely case by case.

The Pulido family has retained an attorney, but on Wednesday, they and friends were more concerned with saying goodbye to the youth nicknamed “Wolfie” for his love of dogs.

Nieves Dominguez, 22, a longtime neighbor of the Pulido family, said she would miss seeing Joseph Pulido and his trio of dogs, his constant companions during walks through the neighborhood. “We’ll all miss him.”

Times staff writer David Reyes contributed to this story.