Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office releases further details and video of Mar. 25 Melody Market shooting in Santa Maria
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office released additional information on the Mar. 25 Melody Market officer-involved shooting that killed Manuel Reyes Rios, 19, in Santa Maria.
The sheriff's office reported that two vehicles with a group of four in each car including 19-year-old Rios arrived at Melody Market close to 8 p.m. and engaged in a physical altercation in the parking lot that escalated to a shootout.
According to the sheriff's office, an off-duty Santa Maria Police Officer who was inside the market when the altercation between the two groups began returned to his car at the same time Rios exposed a firearm and began shooting at the other group, hitting one of them.
Officials said the off-duty officer had drawn his firearm and police badge, identified himself as law enforcement, and demanded Rios stop shooting and surrender when Rios began shooting at the other group that was in front of an occupied restaurant.
Flying debris from the shootout injured a dining patron, according to the sheriff's office.
"In that moment, the off-duty police officer fired at Rios until he dropped to the ground" said the sheriff's office. "The off-duty officer called emergency services on his cell phone, ushered the uninvolved bystanders into the market and sheltered them inside until deputies arrived."
All parties involved in the initial altercation fled the scene prior to law enforcement's arrival. Responding Santa Barbara Sheriff's deputies pronounced Rios dead at the scene with a ghost gun in his possession.
The Santa Barbara Coroner’s investigation has preliminarily determined that Rios died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. The final cause and manner of death is pending toxicology.
The Sheriff’s Office released a short clip from the Melody Market security cameras.
Viewer discretion is highly advised as the images can be distressing to some.
Click the link here to view the video.
