CA Department of Justice to assume investigation of April Oxnard police-involved shooting

OXNARD, Calif. – The California Department of Justice (CADOJ) notified the Oxnard Police Department that it will assume control of the investigation of an officer-involved shooting on Apr. 28.

This action is based on provisions stipulated in Assembly Bill 1506 which is codified in Government Code section 12525.3.

Assembly Bill 1506 (AB1506) calls for the CADOJ to investigate all officer-involved shootings resulting in death of an "unarmed civilian" which is defined in the bill's language as "anyone who is not in possession of a deadly weapon".

Prior to AB1506 codification in July of 2021, critical incident investigations like this would have been handled by local law enforcement and county district attorneys.

"Our department promptly notified DOJ after the April 28th officer-involved critical incident, which concerned an officer shooting a man that was armed with a knife. After DOJ officials reviewed video from the incident, they contacted our agency and advised that they would assume control of our investigation," said Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites. "Our department will work with DOJ to ensure they have all the information and materials they need to conduct a thorough and independent review of this incident. This lends to maintaining the public’s trust, which we value."

The Oxnard Police Department released a Critical Incident Community Briefing video to the public on May 9.