Law enforcement agents who fired their service weapons at suspects in three no-fatal incidents dating back to 2015 were cleared by the San Diego County District Attorney's office of criminal liability.
The DA's office released its reviews of the cases Tuesday, which said the officers and deputies involved in the shootings feared for their lives and used reasonable force in an effort to protect themselves and subdue the suspects.
Ahmed Mumin - Shot by San Diego police officers in 2015
Ahmed Mumin, 30, was shot by San Diego Police Department officers on April 18, 2015 in the Fox Canyon community of City Heights.
Mumin was wanted in connection with a homicide at a Clairemont gas station days before. Officers were searching his apartment complex when they opened the door to a community room and were met by gunfire from Mumin who was hiding inside, the DA's office said.
Two officers returned fire and struck Mumin once. He was rushed to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. There, he tested positive for methamphetamine and benzodiazepines, a prescription drug with sedating effects.
The DA's office ruled responding officers reasonably feared for their lives and fired their weapons at Mumin in self defense, and cleared them of any criminal liability.
The DA's review of the case was approved by former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis in 2016, but was withheld from publication until pending charges against Mumin were adjudicated.
Mumin was convicted of murder and 13 other felonies and was sentenced to life in state prison in 2019.
Edward Nett - Shot by San Diego deputies in Rancho Santa Fe in 2016.
Edward Nett, 50, was shot by San Diego County Sheriff's Department deputies on December 3, 2016 in an apartment unit in Rancho Santa Fe.
Deputies were called to the complex on Paseo Delicias for a disturbance and found Nett in a stairwell, according to the DA's office. Pepper-ball rounds were fired at Nett and a K-9 was released, but neither were effective.
Nett stabbed the K-9, then kicked in the door of a nearby unit occupied by a 25-year-old man and took him hostage at knifepoint. Nett warned deputies he would kill the hostage, according to the DA's office.
A deputy fired at Nett until Nett fell to the ground and dropped his knife. He was arrested and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The DA's office said the deputies avoided the use of deadly force and used alternate means to bring Nett into custody before resorting to gunfire.
The deputy who fired feared Nett would act on his threat to kill the hostage which justified his use of deadly force, the DA's office said. He was cleared of any criminal liability.
Dumanis approved the office's review of the case in 2017. The review was released following Nett's conviction on robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and animal cruelty charges. He was sentenced to 21 years and 8 months in state prison in 2019.
Jesus Rodriguez - Shot by San Diego deputies in Fallbrook in 2018
Jesus Rodriguez was shot by SDSO deputies on December 21, 2018 in Fallbrook.
Rodriguez was a suspect in two assaults near Ranger Road and Reche Road the night before. In the first, Rodriguez approached a car parked in the area and hit it at least four times with a baseball bat or similar object, the DA's office said.
Two hours later, he attacked the driver of another car and left the driver with bruises and facial cuts.
A plain-clothed deputy in an unmarked car parked in the area the following morning while a uniformed deputy in a marked cruiser took cover nearby. About an hour later, Rodriguez approached the unmarked car and smashed in the rear widow with a baseball bay, the DA's office said.
The plain-clothed deputy shot Rodriguez multiple times and Rodriguez ran. The other deputy identified himself and ordered Rodriguez to stop but Rodriguez didn't comply.
Rodriguez stopped and turned toward the deputies with the bat raised over his head, and a deputy shot Rodriguez once more. Rodriguez was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The DA's office ruled the deputies fired in self defense and cleared both of criminal liability.
Rodriguez was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced Monday to five years probation. He was also ordered to check into a mental health treatment program.
