Pedro Garcia shot by Fullerton police amid family call for help

In the United States, a tragic incident occurred on March 15, when Pedro Garcia, a 19-year-old man, was shot and killed by the Fullerton Police Department. The shooting arose after a dispute at a family party where Garcia’s brother called the police to report that he had swung a knife at their father. However, family members insist that Garcia was unarmed when police arrived, as they had taken the knife from him before the officers' arrival. Witnesses assert that Garcia had his hands raised when the officers opened fire, contradicting the police's claim that he was armed with a pellet gun at the time of the shooting. This discrepancy has led to a legal claim filed by Garcia's family, alleging excessive force was used by the officers. On the night of the incident, a 911 call was dispatched at around 11:51 PM. When officers responded to the scene, the mother of Garcia reportedly informed them that her son was unarmed. The family’s lawyer noted that several bystanders corroborated that Garcia was not threatening anyone and had his hands raised during the confrontation. In contrast, the police department stated that Garcia failed to comply with their commands and was thus perceived as a threat. Subsequently, the California Department of Justice, guided by its definition of a pellet gun as a deadly weapon, decided not to investigate the shooting under the scope of unarmed civilian fatalities, as they deemed it a case involving a potentially armed individual. This incident ignited a call for accountability from both the family and their attorney, Michael Carrillo, who is urging the state Attorney General Rob Bonta to pursue an investigation into what they refer to as an "unarmed, totally unjustified shooting." Garcia's mother, Gabriela Ordones-Campos, expressed her heartbreak before the press, sharing that nothing could bring back her son while advocating that the tragic nature of this event should not happen to any other family. In a separate but related case, another family is also seeking justice following the death of Jefte Vargas Ramirez, a 37-year-old man shot by a San Bernardino sheriff's deputy in December 2024. Ramirez was reportedly unarmed and sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including several to his back. His family filed a $30 million wrongful death claim against San Bernardino County. The attorney representing Ramirez’s family emphasized the need for clarity in such police encounters and emphasized accountability, arguing that justice serves a greater purpose beyond their personal loss, aiming to protect future families from similar fates.