Oxnard Dedicates Oct. 13 to Innocent Bystander Shot and Killed by Police
In memory of an innocent man shot and killed by Oxnard police, the city has declared Oct. 13 “Community Safety and Anti-Violence Day.”
On Oct. 13, 2012, Alfonso Limon Jr. was walking home from a workout in his La Colonia neighborhood when police shot him more than 20 times.
Alfonso Limon’s brother, Gerardo, was with him at the time. Gerardo Limon said, “Police never told us anything. Once the shooting started we were on our own from there.”
Since the shooting, the Oxnard Police Department admits officers mistook Limon for a suspect involved in a violent traffic stop nearby.
“We had a tragic incident, where a community member was shot and killed while our officers were responding to shots being fired at them, and someone trying to murder them, so in the crossfire we had the unfortunate tragic situation of a young man being killed,” said Oxnard Police Chief Jeri Williams.
Recently the city of Oxnard settled with Limon’s family. The city agreed to pay the family $6.7 million, but money was not enough for the Limon family.
“Money to us doesn’t mean everything. It is not going to bring our brother back, it is not going to take our pain away or our suffering,” said Alfonso’s sister, Rebecca.
At the family’s request, besides money the settlement also included several non-monetary aspects– including honoring Limon with a plaque at the place where he was killed and declaring Oct. 13 “Community Safety and Anti-Violence Day.”
The Oxnard Police Department must also look into having their officers wear body cameras.
“There are still a few more steps that we have in the process (to get body cameras). I have to submit a plan to my boss, we have to speak with the employees, and the officers union. So hopefully in the next 12 months, we will see the implementation of body cameras,” said Chief Williams.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office determined the officers were just doing their job, and not at fault. All the officers involved in Limon’s shooting, except for one, who is retired, are back at work with the Oxnard Police Department.
