The Sonoma County District Attorney, Carla Rodriguez, has announced the conclusion of the inquiry involving the fatal officer-involved shooting of David Pelaez-Chavez on July 29, 2022. Following a comprehensive evaluation of the incident, criminal charges will not be pursued against the officer involved in the shooting. This information was publicized on the District Attorney's Facebook page yesterday.
In this incident, Pelaez-Chavez was fatally shot in a rural area outside of Healdsburg by a Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputy. The Santa Rosa Police Department carried out an investigation of the shooting as per the county-wide protocol. The findings of that investigation were presented to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office for potential criminal charges consideration.
Rodriguez's review included consideration of the Santa Rosa Police Department's investigation, legal charge-filing standards, updated laws concerning officer-involved shootings in California, and an independent expert's input on police practices and force uses. The decision to abstain from prosecuting the personnel involved was guided by the sum of the factors related to the incident and prevailing legal norms.
