California DOJ clears Hemet police for deadly shooting in 2024

An investigation from the California Department of Justice cleared the Hemet Police Department of the deadly shooting of a 26-year-old man last year.

Officers shot and killed Jimmy Lopez, 26, after staff at a local bar witnessed a black gun falling out of the man's waistband on July 4, 2024. In the 911 call released by the Hemet Police Department, two employees told the dispatcher that they witnessed a gun fall out of the man's pocket as they were ushering him out of the bar. 

Hemet police and the CA DOJ said their investigation determined the weapon was an airsoft gun. 

Surveillance video from a nearby gardening store showed Lopez carrying the airsoft gun shortly before officers found him passed out on the sidewalk, in front of another storefront. 

Lopez sat upright after officers gained his attention. He complied with their commands initially, but reached down with his left hand to grab a vape pen that was on the ground next to him. 

Surrounded by 10 officers, several of whom were shouting commands, Lopez pulled out the airsoft gun and pointed it at one of the officers, according to CA DOJ. State investigators said eight officers fired 69 rounds at Lopez after he drew the airsoft gun. 

He was pronounced dead on the sidewalk. 

After its investigation, the DOJ considered several potential recommendations for the department, but determined that HPD did not have to modify its guidelines following the incident. 

The shooting devastated Lopez's family, who hired an attorney after the deadly shooting. 

"They took his life at a young age, and he did not deserve this," Lopez's mother, Mandi Diaz, said in 2024.