San Diego police shot a mentally ill woman who had a knife in 2020

When San Diego police officers opened the front door to Rosa Calva’s studio apartment in East Village, the 26-year-old was holed up in her bathroom.
Calva, in the throes of a mental health crisis, had thrown items — a bucket, mop and more — out of a window and onto the street below. A bystander reported being struck by flying glass.

Newly released body-worn camera video shows that in a span of 20 minutes, officers gave her repeated commands to walk out of the 5-by-5-foot bathroom and surrender as a police dog barked repeatedly. When she did not, they used a tool known as a Halligan bar to enlarge a hole they noticed in the door, then fired pepperball rounds inside.

The officers and the police dog then moved in. The officers kicked open the bathroom door and, within seconds, Calva, who was holding a steak knife, was shot four times and bitten by the dog.

Police at the time said Calva “threatened” officers with the knife. The footage shows she was holding the knife in the air, the blade pointed up, when Officer Andres Ruiz shot her in the chest and abdomen.

Calva was seriously injured but survived. She was arrested and later charged in San Diego Superior Court with assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. Her case is still pending.

The series of events was captured on the officers’ body-worn cameras, but the San Diego Police Department withheld the footage for two years despite a state law enacted in 2019 that mandates the release of video related to such shootings within 45 days, with few exceptions.

The law is intended to increase transparency in cases of shootings by police officers.

The Police Department released the footage May 20, three weeks after the First Amendment Coalition, which advocates for open and transparent government, sent the city attorney a letter that argued the law required police to disclose the video. The coalition also threatened to sue.

Along with the body-worn camera video, the Police Department released reports and other records tied to the now-completed investigation. The records reveal that the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office cleared Ruiz and that the department determined the officer followed policy.

But the shooting, in light of the footage, has raised concerns.

One use-of-force expert, former Los Angeles County sheriff’s lieutenant Roger Clark, said the officers failed to properly handle the situation. Clark, who reviewed the records last week at the Union-Tribune’s request, said officers forced a confrontation at a moment when Calva was not a danger to the public.

“This is not de-escalation,” Clark said.

The Commission on Police Practices, which reviewed the department’s internal investigation into the shooting, also raised concerns. In a report to the department, commissioners said they hoped the department realized “there are other means of de-escalation available” and urged the department to consider “additional training in that regard.”

Calva’s mother, Rosa Garcia, said she believes police used excessive force and wants accountability. Two years after the shooting, Garcia still is deeply troubled about the way police treated her daughter, who she said is diagnosed with depression.

“My daughter is not ‘El Chapo,’” Garcia said. “She’s mentally ill.”

San Diego police spokesperson Lt. Adam Sharki said the department “holds its members to the highest professional standards.”

“We hear the community’s concerns about this incident,” he said.

He said shootings by officers are rare and reviewed thoroughly.

“Even if a shooting is deemed lawful and within policy, the department continues to review the tactics and actions of the officer to determine if there are learning points which can be incorporated into training going forward,” Sharki said in a statement.

He said Ruiz remains a San Diego police officer.
----------
Keep me motivated by donating to https://paypal.me/thisisbutter

Viewer discretion is always advised when watching this video or any others videos. I do not take any responsibility for your trauma, psychological and/or mental harm.

I do not recommend anyone to attempt, act/reproduce, and/or create hate from what you see in this video or any other videos.

Enjoy.