Front Page  »  

Cal Poly officer accused of shooting an unarmed man

April 23, 2017

A former Fresno police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man is now working for the Cal Poly Police Department. Shortly after Cal Poly hired Felipe Manuel Lucero, students accused the officer of putting a 21-year-old man in a choke hold after man told the officer to “fuck off.”

In September 2016, Lucerno and another Fresno police officer pulled over and demanded a 40-year-old mentally ill man to drop to the ground, and seconds later began shooting. The officers shot Freddy Centeno nine times.

Centeno died 23 days later in a hospital. [ABC News]

Centeno’s family and police dispute what a video of the shooting depicts. Family members contend the officers did not give Centeno a chance to respond.

The Fresno police department determined i Centeno, who had a black spray nozzle in his shorts, appeared to be grabbing for a gun.

Centeno’s family recently filed a lawsuit against the city of Fresno and the officers.

On March 10, Lucerno, who was working undercover for the Cal Poly Police Department at the time, approached a student he suspected of stealing a bottle of wine from a San Luis Obispo liquor store.

Lucerno then placed Aidan Dugan-Culton in a chokehold and tackled him after the student told the officer to “fuck off.”

Julian Trevizo, a friend of the suspect, witnessed the incident and videotaped the arrest, beginning at the moment police officers were pinning his friend.

Police arrested Dugan-Culton on charges of battery on a peace officer, resisting an officer and shoplifting. Dugan-Culton has pleaded not guilty.


Loading...
Related:


14 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

The kid did NOT shoplift. He was over 21 and bought the liquor legally.

The cop did not identify himself when he started his aggression against Dugan-Culton.


If a stranger dressed in a scruffy manner came up to you and accused you of shoplifting how would you respond?


This cop, like most cops, is drunk on power and is always looking for trouble. The shooting of the guy in Fresno is murder. I don’t care what the legal system and internal “investigations” show. He was unarmed and was not aggressive.


This cops actions in both cases did NOTHING to protect anyone or serve anyone. One is dead, the other has a prior arrest, neither did anything to warrant the aggressive, violent actions of the cop.


The problem is that police enjoy general immunity from crimes they commit in the line of duty, and even when off duty. Had a mundane serf tackled the kid because he thought he was shoplifting, he would be in jail for assault. That’s a crime.


But when officer lucerno commits a crime he is immune! That’s the problem. Cops today think they must commit crime in order to enforce the law. Most of what they do is illegal if we did it!!


This situation attracts the worst of the worst; power hungry sociopaths who like lording it over others. That’s why it seems the cops are out of control! They ARE out of control! They commit crime all day long.


-1

The officer should be thankful he is Hispanic (non-white), or he probably would have been crucified at his last job, in the media, etc. Smart move on his part coming to a community where the guilty whites trip over themselves to prove how racist they aren’t, often while employing the soft bigotry of low expectations.


Anyway, sounds like a clean bust on a likely dirt-bag.


0

Wonder what kind of performance review he got and how big a raise?


0

The involved officer was not involved in a murder. The Fresno shooting was thoroughly investigated by both the Fresno Police Department and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, and the shooting was found to be justified. From a legal standpoint, Cal Poly hired an experienced officer with a clean record. There are times, however unpleasant to some, that law enforcement officers must use lethal force. Speculation and hyperbole by those who were not present at the time of the incident doesn’t contribute to rational or intellectual discourse.

Gary Joralemon


1

It was very disturbing to see the police officers murder a shirtless pedestrian.


0

No shoes, no shirt, no …..!


0

“Police arrested Dugan-Culton on charges of battery on a peace officer, resisting an officer and SHOPLIFTING.”


So Dugan-Culton DID steal the wine. Sounds like Lucerno should be commended for catching a criminal in the act.


2

wow, that Fresno shoot looked like a bad shoot. No time passed and the guy hardly twitched before they unloaded their clips on him.


0

Hey Julian. Did you video tape your friend NOT stealing the bottle? LOL


0

What genius at Cal Poly would hire this cop after his disaster in Fresno?


It seems almost weekly new comes out showing how Cal Poly is turning into an embarassment.


0

A person whose motto is ”let bygones be bygones” apparently.


0

Or maybe “learn by doing.”


0
1 2