Shooting by Officer Is Ruled Justified

The fatal shooting of an armed Ventura man who reportedly taunted police to “go ahead and shoot” was justified, the district attorney’s office announced Thursday.

Prosecutors said Officer Brian Hewlett “acted reasonably” when he fired at 43-year-old Nick Nelson in front of Nelson’s Harbor Boulevard residence Sept. 9.

Neighbors called police after hearing shots fired at the Casa Antigua condominium complex about midnight. Authorities on the scene spotted Nelson inside his home holding a .357 magnum revolver. Nelson, unaware that police were outside, fired two rounds into his television, police said.

As authorities attempted to evacuate neighbors, Nelson stepped outside and confronted police.

Neighbors reported hearing Nelson shout out to officers, “Go ahead, go ahead and shoot.”

Nelson, still holding onto his revolver, then stepped toward two officers, prompting them to shoot, authorities said. Only Hewlett’s shots struck Nelson, piercing him in the leg and neck, police said. He died at the scene.

Relatives said Nelson was depressed over money problems, and authorities theorize that Nelson may have purposely threatened police in hopes of getting shot--a phenomenon known as “suicide by cop.”

As is routine with all police shootings, investigators with the district attorney’s office have been looking into the incident to make sure that Hewlett’s actions were reasonable.

Prosecutors on Thursday released a 31-page report on their investigation, which concluded that the “use of deadly force was justified under the circumstances involved.”