BWC footage released after Colo. officer charged with murder in fatal OIS

The May incident led to an officer being fired and charged, as well as increased de-escalation training at the department

LASALLE, Colo. — Newly released body camera footage shows an officer-involved shooting incident that unfolded in May, leading to an officer being charged with second-degree murder, 9 News reported.

The video shows Erik Hernandez, who was on his third day of field training at the time of the incident, and his training officer, Sam Johnson, approaching a double-parked car in a Family Dollar store parking lot.

Officer Johnson can be heard in the video explaining to Hernandez why the car was suspicious, citing the at-home paint job and the fact that the plate numbers did not match a registration.

The pair entered the store and looked for a suspect. The officers spoke with the store's employees who said no one who worked there drove the car, according to the indictment obtained by 9 News.

An alarm can be heard inside the store, indicating that the suspect, now identified as Juston Reffel, had pushed an emergency exit door.

He then ran out through the front door, according to the indictment.

The officers drew their handguns and ran back to the parking lot, where the man had already gotten into the car. As the officers stood on either side of their car pointing their handguns at Reffel and commanding him to get out of the car, Reffel reversed the car several feet and began to drive away.

Hernandez then fired four shots into the driver’s side window, killing Reffel.

LaSalle Police Chief Dave Arnold said he believed his officers followed policy up until the shooting, which he was unable to say was justified or not. He said he didn’t think the shooting should have happened, but he couldn’t speak to whether Hernandez felt his life was in danger.

The department fired Hernandez and introduced new de-escalation and crisis intervention training after the incident. Johnson remains on duty, according to the report.

https://www.police1.com/officer-shootings/articles/bwc-footage-released-after-colo-officer-charged-with-murder-in-fatal-ois-MuOCayIRenUT26k0/

Former LaSalle police officer faces second-degree murder charge in May shooting

A former LaSalle police officer faces a charge of second-degree murder in connection with fatally a shooting a man trying to drive away in a car the officer thought was suspicious.

A Weld County grand jury indicted Erik Hernandez, who had been on the job for three days when he allegedly fatally shot Juston Reffel on May 3, according to Denver Gazette partner 9News.

Hernandez and another LaSalle officer, Sam Johnson, saw a Dodge Magnum they believed looked suspicious parked outside a Family Dollar store at 165 S. 2nd St., according to the indictment. The car had been recently painted white, had an obscured vehicle identification number and a faked out-of-state license plate number.

LaSalle is a small town just south of Greeley. 

The two officers parked their patrol vehicle to block in the car and went into the store to try to find the car’s driver and learned none of its employees drove the car.

Reffel was in the store with two others, according to the indictment, and ran toward the front when he saw the officers. He got into the white Dodge Magnum and backed up several feet, despite Hernandez shouting for him to get out, according to the indictment. Reffel then began driving out of the parking spot.

Hernandez fired four shots from his 9-millimeter handgun, the indictment says. Reffel managed to drive away before he hit another car on Church Street. He was pronounced dead at North Colorado Medical Center from a single gunshot wound to the torso.

“The defendant acted knowingly with respect to his conduct described above and was not justified in the actions he took pursuant to the affirmative defense of peace officer’s use of deadly physical force,” according to the indictment.

Hernandez has a court appearance set for Aug. 23 at 9 a.m., according to a news release Monday. A judge set his bond at $50,000. 9News reported Hernandez was fired after the grand jury’s indictment last week.

https://denvergazette.com/news/local/la-salle-officer-murder-charge/article_f8b4d244-151d-11ee-88f3-e7388e019171.html

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