The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is under scrutiny following the shooting of an innocent man during a standoff in Pico Rivera Friday night.
Frank Mendoza, 54, was mistakenly shot by a sheriff’s deputy when an ex-felon allegedly broke into Mendoza’s home in the 9000 block of Rosehedge Drive and got into a shootout with deputies during an hours-long standoff.
Deputies shot Mendoza believing he was 24-year-old Cedric Ramirez, the suspect barricaded inside the home.
Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman said his office has been tasked with reviewing the fatal shooting.
"Not just facts and figures, but our opinion about what they did," Huntsman said. "So we’re going to get in there, watch the investigation and be able to say, 'They did a great investigation in this case' or 'In this case, maybe they could have done more.'"
This shooting was second time in four months that a deputy-involved shooting ended with the death of an innocent person. In April, John Winkler was shot and killed by deputies as he ran for help after a stabbing in a West Hollywood apartment complex.
"We’re going to be working on encouraging the department to learn from its mistakes and translate that into action that they then will take the next time, instead of it just being a memo that somebody leaves in a desk somewhere," Huntsman said.
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The County Board of Supervisors are expected to meet Tuesday to discuss whether to appoint a civilian oversight commission for the LA Sheriff’s Department in response to Friday’s shooting.
