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Family of man accidentally shot and killed by officer sues Guadalupe

May 26, 2022

Juan Luis Olvera Preciado (left)

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

The family of a man shot and killed last year by a Guadalupe police officer, who was reportedly aiming for a different person, has filed a lawsuit against the northern Santa Barbara County city and its police department. [KSBY]

On the night of Aug. 21, 2021, Guadalupe officers recognized a man at the intersection of Birch and Obispo streets as a suspect with an outstanding no-bail felony arrest warrant. After about 15 minutes, Officer Miguel Jaimes fired at the wanted suspect, but instead hit 59-year-old Juan Luis Olvera-Preciado, who was sitting in his car in front of his home. Olvera-Preciado was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a wrongful death suit filed in federal court, Olvera-Preciado’s family alleges the shooting was careless, senseless and unjustified. The actions of Jaimes, coupled with the lack of training by the Guadalupe Police Department, resulted in the fatal shooting, according to the suit.

The police department has responded to the lawsuit with a statement saying, Jaimes and the other officers involved in the incident faced a “rapidly evolving situation that did not afford practical time for deliberation.” The department denies that Jaimes unreasonably fired his weapon without cause or provocation and denies that police command regularly displays negligent behaviors and attitudes in its hiring, staffing and training of officers.

Arnoldo Casillas, an attorney representing Olver-Preciado’s family, says the victim’s relatives would like to move forward to a possible mediation with the city of Guadalupe, though he did not provide additional details.


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Let me get this straight. “After about 15 minutes, Officer Miguel Jaimes fired at the wanted suspect,…”


AND


Jaimes (or his representative) says Jaimes faced a “rapidly evolving situation that did not afford practical time for deliberation.”


You would think that after his exhaustive weeks of training, he would be a faster deliberator, and a better shot. I wonder what a “practical time for deliberation” is for Jaimes? An hour? Or possibly until his shift is over and he wants to go home? Discipline for offenses like this usually involve a hour of “paid administrative leave” and a promotion.


Just a suggestion, but I think Jaimes and SLO officer Josh “Sure Shot” Walsh should get together and give each other shooting lessons. Walsh is a good shot. He can guarantee to shoot and kill a dog with not more than three shots at point blank range. Also, both apparently think it is okay to fire off a round (in Walsh’s case, three rounds) in a neighborhood.


As you might discern, incidents like this infuriate me. Yet we continue to put grossly undertrained, undisciplined, imprudent, reckless, but very well armed, equipped, dressed and paid gang members on the street to oppress and kill us instead of protect and serve us. There are a few exceptions, but very few. I’m probably going to get a lot of cra… criticism for this, but I don’t care. I’m sick of stories like this one.


10

But by all means we need to allow these unqualified LEO’s to job hop endlessly to hide their problems, or take a 12 month paid vacation… I mean administrative leave until they are allowed to retire, sometimes at age 40 because the job is so hard, or take permanent disability leave, in either taking a 100%+ pension with them.


4

When police departments get to cap IQ in order to join this is the type of officers we get.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-cops/story?id=95836


2

That’s in Connecticut. I’ve heard some people in that area call it Corrupticut. The real reason they wanted low IQ candidates is that they didn’t think anyone who could think for themselves would make a good lackey. I’ve seen some really bad stories about police abuse of citizens in Connecticut. Thanks for the support.


2