Laserfiche WebLink
girlfriend whom he had been briefed about earlier that morning. <br />Officer Ayala stated that he then yelled, "Gun," sidestepped southbound, and removed his weapon from his holster. <br />'Ising his right hand, he started shooting at the wall hoping the rounds would penetrate the wall and give him enough <br />i1me to run back and take cover near his vehicle. He believed he fired about five rounds. Officer Ayala stated that he <br />was afraid because he was exposed in the alley, and all Gonzalez had to do was point her gun and shoot him in the <br />face or chest in order to kill him. He also stated that, as he was shooting, he could hear additional gunfire, though he <br />could not tell who was firing the additional shots. He stated that he believed he was the one being shot at. <br />Officer Ayala recalled running back southeast toward Officer Esquivel's car, which was parked behind his own , while <br />continuing to shoot one-handed. He could not remember when he stopped shooting, but he believed the shooting <br />incident lasted three to five seconds. As soon as he made it to Officer Esquivel 's car, he saw Gonzalez fall face-down to <br />the ground . He saw Gonzalez reach for something with her left hand, and he believed he yelled, "She's reac hing for the <br />gun ." Officer Ayala then recalled shooting two additional rounds . <br />Officer Ayala then saw a male poke his head out from the garage . He also saw Officer Esquivel taking cover behind a <br />dumpster on the west side of the alley. He told Officer Esquivel that there were multiple subjects in the garage as he ran <br />backwards, taking cover behind another garage on the east side of the alley. The officers then notified dispatch over the <br />radio that they had been involved in an officer-involved shooting. <br />Officer Ayala then recalled additional units arriving and telling them that there were more subjects who could possibly <br />flank them from another side. He saw that Gonzalez was still moving and warned the additional officers that she still had <br />a gun underneath her. He then searched the garage with another officer and found it to be unoccupied. <br />Voluntary, Consensual Statement of Officer Esquivel <br />Officer Esquivel gave a voluntary, consensual statement to the OCDA on Sept. 23, 2013 . At the time of the incident, <br />Jfficer Esquivel had been a police officer with the city of Santa Ana for approximately six months. He had previously <br />worked as a police officer for the San Fernando Police Department for eight years. The incident occurred during his <br />regular work hours while Officer Esquivel was equipped with a .45 caliber Glock 21 pistol, three magazines, an X26 <br />Taser, a baton, pepper spray, handcuffs, and a radio. <br />Officer Esquivel recalled responding to a call for service in the area of Mark Street, an east/west street northwest of <br />Townsend Street, on the morning of June 23, 2013. As he was patrolling, a man approached Officer Esquivel and <br />began to tell the officer that his son had been murdered on Townsend when he was stabbed multiple times in a possible <br />gang-related incident a few days earlier. <br />Officer Esquivel stated that, shortly after the man left him , Officer Ayala arrived. The officers decided to do a patrol <br />check down Townsend with Officer Ayala driving down the alley and Officer Esquivel driving down Townsend . The <br />officers drove their respective streets and met at the southern end of the alley. Officer Esquivel recalled Officer Ayala <br />telling him that he had seen two open garages in the alley with multiple subjects in them . Officer Esquivel stated that he <br />decided to contact the subjects regarding the boy who had been stabbed days earlier. <br />Officer Esquivel drove north up the alley to the first open garage and asked the people inside questions such as, "Who <br />lives here?" After a short conversation, he drove "maybe 100 feet" to tell Officer Ayala that he had spoken with the <br />subjects . Officer Ayala then suggested they go check out the second garage further north . Officer Ayala drove north up <br />the street, parking just north of the second open garage, and Officer Esquivel parked behind him. <br />Officer Esquivel described the officers as exiting their vehicles simultaneously. He thought that Officer Ayala had "more <br />fa direct approach into the mouth of the garage" than he did. He then recall ed hearing Officer Ayala suddenly yell, <br />Jun, gun, gun" in a high-pitched voice about 15 feet away from where Officer Esquivel was standing . He saw Officer <br />Ayala retreating back to his vehicle "as quickly as he ca n" while shooting with his right hand, loo king as if he were <br />5