Man Shot by Officer Dies at UCI Hospital

A man who was shot in the head on Labor Day by a police officer when he allegedly tried to flee in a stolen car died Tuesday morning at UCI Medical Center in Orange, authorities said.

Jose Manuel Campos, 28, of Santa Ana was pronounced dead at 4:55 a.m.

The confrontation leading to the shooting began about 6 p.m. Monday at North Laurel and 5th streets when an officer went to check on a report of a stolen car, said Lt. George Saadeh. The car’s owner reported seeing a Toyota Camry, which was stolen in late August, parked on the street.

The officer said he saw Campos and a 17-year-old girl inside the car, and fired once when Campos tried to drive off, allegedly putting the officer’s life in danger, Saadeh said.

Campos then crashed the Camry into another car.

The girl with Campos was later questioned, then released to the custody of her parents. No charges have been filed against her. She was not injured in the shooting or crash.

The department declined to release further details of the confrontation pending an ongoing investigation.

Campos allegedly was on parole, and there was a $10,000 warrant out for his arrest for possession of narcotics, police said.

The officer who fired the shot is a 14-year veteran. He is now on administrative leave, a routine procedure in officer-involved shootings. His name was withheld.

The Orange County district attorney’s office will investigate, as is routine in any officer-involved shooting.