2 arrested at protests of deputy’s fatal shooting of boy with toy gun
At least two people were arrested Tuesday in Santa Rosa during demonstrations over the death of a teenage boy who was shot and killed in October by a sheriff’s deputy who mistook his plastic gun for an AK-47.
The protests temporarily halted meetings by the Santa Rosa City Council and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, according to The Press Democrat.
At the council meeting, protesters chanting “No justice, no peace,” swarmed council chambers just as retiring Police Chief Tom Schwedhelm was being honored for three decades of service.
One man who was trying to get into council chambers was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer with a protest sign.
During the public comment period at the Board of Supervisors meeting, Jonathan Melrod, a protest organizer, said, “There’s no issue in this county that rises to a higher need to be addressed than the death of Andy Lopez.”
Andy, an eighth-grader, was shot seven times on the afternoon of Oct. 22 by a sheriff’s deputy who mistook his pellet gun for an authentic assault rifle.
The deputies were on patrol when they saw Andy from the back walking with the BB gun. Gelhaus told investigators he could not remember whether he identified himself as a sheriff’s deputy, but a witness said Gelhaus twice ordered Andy to drop the gun.
Andy’s parents have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Sonoma County, calling the shooting “a senseless and unwarranted act of police abuse.”
“You can cut off my mic, you can have the sheriffs pull me out of here -- that’s irrelevant. We want to know why Gelhaus was returned to work,” Melrod told supervisors.
In a preliminary review, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s officials found Gelhaus did not violate department procedures when he shot Lopez. He returned to work Monday, fueling anger among protesters.
An attorney for Gelhaus said he “hasn’t committed any policy violation and he certainly hasn’t committed any criminal misconduct.”
ALSO:
L.A. Sheriff’s Department indictments: ‘Sad day,’ Baca says
Paul Walker crash: Men accused of stealing Porsche rooftop charged
Lamar Odom sentenced to probation, alcohol treatment after DUI plea
Twitter: @aribloomekatz | Facebook
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
