LBUSD School Safety Officer Who Fired At Fleeing Auto (Gravely Wounding A Passenger) Was Hired Less Than A Year Ago

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LBUSD School Safety Officer Who Fired At Fleeing Auto (Gravely Wounding A Passenger) Was Hired Less Than A Year Ago

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(October 1, 2021, 5:15 p.m.) -- LBUSD says its School Safety Officer who fired at an allegedly fleeing auto -- gravely wounding passenger Mona Rodriguez, age 18 -- was hired on Jan. 10, 2021.

LBREPORT.com has chosen to withhold his name for now.

In a Sept. 28 statement, LBPD said that at about 3:12 p.m., LBPD officers responded to the area of Spring Street and Palo Verde Avenue regarding a person-hit shooting and determined that a Long Beach Unified School District school safety officer had discharged their firearm, striking a female adult in the upper body.

[LBPD statement] The preliminary investigation revealed the school safety officer was driving when he observed a physical altercation between an 18-year-old female suspect and a 15-year-old female juvenile victim occurring in the street.
Investigators have determined a 20-year-old male adult and a 16-year-old male juvenile were also involved in the assault; however, their participation level remains under investigation.
While the motive for the assault remains under investigation, detectives believe the suspect and victim are known to each other, and the 18-year-old female adult suspect initiated the assault.
When the female suspect, male adult, and male juvenile attempted to flee in a 4-door gray sedan, the school safety officer approached the vehicle, and the shooting occurred.
The female victim in the front passenger seat of the vehicle was struck...[N]o Long Beach Police Department employees were involved during the incident. The LBPD is only functioning in an investigative capacity...