Coroner: Brian Tacadena Identified as Man Shot by Police

Family and friends have created a memorial of candles and flowers near where a man was killed Sunday night in Santa Barbara.

The Santa Barbara County Coroner identified the man shot as 46-year-old Brian Phillip Tacadena of Santa Barbara.

Police said Tacadena was armed with a knife walking along De la Vina Street. He then did not obey an officer’s demand to drop his weapon and was fatality shot by the officer.

Witnesses told NewsChannel 3 they heard multiple shots.

The incident happened near the intersection of De La Vina and West Victoria streets in Santa Barbara.

Nearby residents told a NewsChannel 3 crew they knew Tacadena was the man who shot.

A family member said Tacadena was in town from San Jose to see a loved one.

Residents also said, ironically, that same family has been hit twice by tragedy. The man killed Sunday was related to a man who was shot to death in a gang hit just blocks away in March of 2006.

The officer involved shooting is under investigation by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office and Police Internal Investigations.

Sgt. Riley Harwood says, “when they (officers) are faced with a lethal threat, whether that’s a gun or knife, that may cause them to suffer death or serious bodily injury, the appropriate response is to respond in kind with lethal force.”

Harwood also said if the person is unarmed, other options are available including the Taser gun.

It’s unclear if the officer was called to the scene by a citizen who saw Tacadena with a knife or if the officer spotted the man while on patrol.

NewsChannel 3 will be talking to a family member tonight and will have an update at 11.