This page is to our brother, son, uncle and friend Alfonso Limon Jr. who on October 13, 2012 was fatally shot by the Oxnard Police Department. He, unfortunately, was another victim of police brutality...we know there is more to the story which is why the D.A. is taking his sweet time to hand over the results of the investigation. Oxnard Police Chief Jeri Williams on Tuesday called a police shoot
out that killed two people, including a 21-year-old innocent bystander, a tragedy affecting the entire community.
“The violent behavior of these suspects created and resulted in the death of (Alfonso) Limon,” Williams said of the bystander during a news conference Tuesday in Oxnard. “The suspects, keep in mind, were in control of the situation, and our officers responded to those threats.”
She revealed few new details on the ongoing investigation, because the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is now leading the inquiry, but she did say Limon’s mother did not want to talk to her when she reached out to the family. Chris Dunn said at the news conference that the case is a top priority for his office.
Limon and Jose Zepeda, 24, both of Oxnard, were killed during the Saturday night shootout in Oxnard’s La Colonia neighborhood. The incident started after three men in a vehicle refused to cooperate with police after a traffic stop, authorities said. They later sped away, then two of them got out of the vehicle and began shooting at officers during a foot chase, according to Oxnard police. The officers returned the fire.
Zepeda was one of those who ran from police, officials said. The other, Justin Villa, 24, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Officials said Tuesday that Villa was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation and is not eligible for bail. The third man in the vehicle, Rafael Hernandez, 22, surrendered to police and did not flee, officials said. Hernandez at his arraignment Tuesday in Superior Court pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing a firearm. He has several misdemeanor convictions and is prohibited from owning a weapon.
Hernandez was being held in county jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. Judge Bruce Young on Tuesday set his next court hearing for Oct. 25. Dunn said the two arrested men have not been charged with anything directly related to the shootout with police, pending the continuing investigation.
Limon’s family said Monday that he was just jogging in the area, and police later confirmed that he was an innocent bystander. Williams was asked at the news conference Tuesday about rumors that Limon asked officers not to shoot him, that his body was dragged from the scene by police, and that more people were actually shot Saturday. Williams said nobody else was shot, and that officers gave medical assistance to Limon. The other rumors will be investigated, she said.
“It is also important to note that our officers have been impacted by this incident, as well,” she said. “We send our heartfelt concerns for those officers and their families.”
Elliott Gabriel, 28, is a member of Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective, a local group that has rallied this year against what it calls Oxnard police brutality. He said some neighbors saw police shoot Limon as he was trying to cooperate. He said people are traumatized and angered by the incident.
“The rage is palpable,” Gabriel said. “You can feel it; it is very heavy.”
The group plans to hold a rally at 5 p.m. Monday at Del Sol Park in La Colonia marking the National Day of Protest to demand that those involved in the shooting be brought to justice.
“If I seriously messed up in my job, I would get fired. In the case of Oxnard police, they go on paid administrative leave,” Gabriel said. He accused Oxnard police of corruption and a cover-up.
“We feel it is something that is deeply ingrained in the department,” Gabriel said. “It didn’t start with Jeri Williams and it will not end with Jeri Williams.”
Gabriel and some other members of the collective took their cause to Tuesday night’s Oxnard City Council meeting. During the public comment period of the meeting, Gabriel drew applause from some attendees and a terse warning from Mayor Tom Holden during a strongly worded three-minute statement. The statement included references to one man being “torn apart in a hail of gunfire,” the dead men having encountered the “wrong set of sadistic cops” and police being in the pocket of the city’s elite “like a set of keys.”
Holden, who generally officiates calmly, sounded tense when he warned the audience, as Gabriel spoke, that they’d have to leave if they applauded again. Council rules don’t allow applause during the meetings. Members of the collective have been attending some council meetings over the summer to protest the June death of Robert Ramirez. The 26-year-old died in June after a brief struggle with police while he was apparently overdosing on methamphetamine. Ramirez’s parents were among those in the audience at the council meeting. Others at the meeting spoke in support of the police. Edgar Mohorko, president of the Oxnard nonprofit the National Police Clergy Council, read a statement from his organization in favor of Williams and said the group hoped it could help “defuse tensions” on the street. Before the meeting, Williams said her department had heard a group of high school students had planned to protest. But there was no sign of the students by the time public comments wrapped up around 8 p.m. As Los Angeles media converged on Oxnard for live broadcasts throughout the day, it remained unclear Tuesday who shot Limon and Zepeda. That information will be revealed after a thorough investigation that also includes the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office, officials said. Autopsies revealed Zepeda and Limon died of multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities have not said how many officers were involved in the shooting, or released the officers’ names. Williams said her department is conducting an administrative investigation, and those involved are on paid leave. Assistant Sheriff Gary Pentis said the investigation is complex, and experts in weapons, blood and forensics are sifting through evidence.
“The only thing that has happened so far are the interviews, and the interviews are not even complete,” Pentis said during the news conference. Oxnard Mayor Tom Holden also called the incident a tragedy and extended sympathy to the Limon family. He said, however, that the situation could have been avoided if the suspects had complied with officers’ demands.
“Police officers responded the way they did to try and bring the situation under control,” Holden said. Williams said she can understand the anger in the community over the incident. Oxnard police have been involved this year in two other deaths — that of Ramirez, in which family members have accused police of excessive force, and the August death of Michael Mahoney, who was shot and killed by police after a brief standoff.
“When any type of tragedy happens in a community, especially one that was unintended in this regard, I think it’s important for all of us to understand that everyone deals with tragedy differently,” Williams said.
“To those individuals who live in La Colonia, we do understand what you are going through. We empathize with you.”
(VenturaCountyStar 10/16/12)
