Police Slaying of Suspect Justified, D.A. Rules

Two police officers were justified in fatally shooting a man who confronted them although they had been told that the gun he was waving was fake, the district attorney ruled Thursday.

“The officers were not required to wait to see if” Venancio Altamirano “would shoot or attempt to shoot at them,” said Dist. Atty. Bonnie M. Dumanis.

Officers David Moya and Emilio Ramirez shot Altamirano, 40, after he refused to drop the gun during an Aug. 15 confrontation outside his home. His estranged wife had called police and said he had been drinking and was waving a fake gun.