Review of Altadena Sheriff's February Shooting Case Still Incomplete

Seven months after a 33-year-old Pomona man was fatally shot by a Altadena Sheriff Station's deputy, a review of the case has not been completed.

Stephen Bullock, 33, of Pomona was shot around 11:30 p.m. near the intersection of Lake Avenue and New York Drive on February 18.

Sheriff's Department representatives at the time described it as happening during a routine traffic stop--Bullock allegedly exited the car and ran from the two officers on the scene.

They were able to catch him and after a brief struggle, Bullock allegedly reached into his waist band and pulled a gun on them.  A deputy then opened fire and shot Bullock fatally.

The Status of the Case

Little else is know about the case, and several sources declined to speak in detail about the case with Patch as the County District Attorney's Office has not yet completed a review for whether to file charges in the case against the officer involved in the shooting.

Lt. John Corina, of the Sheriff Department's Homicide Bureau, said that he cannot discuss details in the case.  Homicide detective have reviewed the case and have made a recommendation to the District Attorney's Office, he said, but no decision has been made from prosecutors.

Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the County DA's Office, confirmed that the case is still being reviewed by the office, but did not provide any answer for why the case has not yet been completed.

The case will likely drag on for some time once the DA has completed the case: It must next be reviewed by the Sheriff Department's Internal Affairs Bureau.  Lt. Stephen Vaughan, who works for the department, said that IAB cannot even begin to review the case until the District Attorney's Office has completed it.  He described the time the case has taken so far as "average."

Not Unusual

Unfortunately, having a case take seven months or more to complete is nothing unusual, according to Michael Gennaco, of the County Office of Internal Review.

Gennaco was the main author of an OIR study of the Sheriff's Department released in August that concluded that the department should aim to complete investigations within 90 days.  The report also measured the average use of force investigation that results in injury or death as taking more than 10 months.

When asked in an interview whether the delays in investigations tend to be the result of the DA office or the Internal Affairs Bureau, Gennaco's answer was "both."

In the mean time, the officer involved in the shooting has continued to work at the Altadena Sheriff's Station, according to Lt. Joe Dempsey.  He said the officer took five days off following the shooting, per department guidelines.  The officer's name has not been released, which is the policy of the County Sheriff's Department.

Dempsey said that in a case where there were "glaring violations" a deputy could be put on leave or held out of work for longer.