Chief Fires Officers Who Shot Riverside Woman

The four police officers who fatally shot Tyisha Miller last December have been fired by Riverside Police Chief Jerry Carroll, leading to strong protests Tuesday by the Riverside Police Officers Assn.

Saying the firings were politically motivated and unjust, police union President Jeffrey Joseph said his group would “exhaust every legal means available to have these officers’ jobs reinstated.”

The four officers, Daniel Hotard, 23, and Paul Bugar, 24, both probationary rookies, and Wayne Stewart, 25, and Michael Alagna, 27, who had been in the department less than four years, were notified of their firing by Carroll on Monday. They had personally appealed to him last week to keep their jobs.

The two more senior officers can seek arbitration to overturn the chief’s decision, and all four have indicated through their attorney that they will challenge the decision in court.

Miller, 19, was killed Dec. 28 after the four officers answered a 911 call and found her unresponsive in a locked car, with a gun in her lap. When they broke the window to grab the weapon, they said, she reached for it, prompting them to open fire, striking her 12 times.