Officers Cleared in 2022 City Heights Shooting

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said on April 17 that it will not file criminal charges against three San Diego police officers who fatally shot John Ray Romero in City Heights in 2022. (oag.ca.gov) The officers — Gregory Bergman, Michael Thornton and Jonathan Estrada — shot Romero on December 8, 2022, after responding to a call about a man pointing a handgun at his own head, according to the state report. (oag.ca.gov) The Attorney General’s Office said Romero left the first location on a bicycle, was found again near a parked car in the 4000 block of 42nd Street, and kept the gun pointed at his head while telling officers to shoot him. (oag.ca.gov, nbcsandiego.com) State investigators said one officer fired three bean-bag rounds after Romero ignored commands and walked toward officers; Romero then ducked behind a car, stood up and began raising the gun before officers opened fire. (oag.ca.gov) Investigators later determined the weapon was an airsoft pistol with no markings that distinguished it from a real handgun. Romero was 58 when he died at the scene, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. (oag.ca.gov, sdsheriff.gov) The case fell under Assembly Bill 1506, a California law that requires the Department of Justice to investigate police shootings that kill an unarmed civilian. The state said prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers did not act in lawful self-defense or defense of others. (oag.ca.gov) The report did not end with the charging decision. The Attorney General’s Office said it made three policy recommendations, including more San Diego Police Department training on command and communication when multiple units respond to calls involving suicidal people with deadly weapons. (oag.ca.gov) NBC 7 reported the decision drew sharp reaction in City Heights and renewed calls from community members for more transparency and police reform. San Diego television station 10News likewise reported local criticism after the state released its findings Friday. (nbcsandiego.com, 10news.com) The officers were identified publicly six days after the shooting, and the Sheriff’s Department said in December 2022 that all three had been placed on administrative assignment, the standard step after an officer-involved shooting. More than three years later, the state’s criminal review is now closed, but the case remains part of San Diego’s broader fight over how police handle mental health crises and replica weapons. (sdsheriff.gov, oag.ca.gov)