Hemet police fire 100 shots while killing unarmed civilian, lawyer says

A Hemet family demanded justice after police fired a barrage of bullets that killed their unarmed relative on July 4.

“They just told me that my son was aggressive towards the police,” said mother Mandi Diaz. “They lied to me. He was sitting there the whole time they shot my son.”

The shooting occurred at about 1:40 a.m. on July 4, when Hemet police officers headed downtown after someone reported an intoxicated man coming out of a bar with a gun in his pants. When officers arrived in the 200 block of East Florida Avenue, they found Diaz’s son, 26-year-old Jimmy Lopez.

The family’s attorney said Lopez was drunk, incapacitated and sprawled on the sidewalk when officers arrived. Video of the fatal shooting shows Lopez sitting on the sidewalk with a spotlight.

In the first five seconds of the video, Lopez is seen sitting on the sidewalk while an officer takes cover behind a wall to his left. After this brief moment, Lopez smokes what appears to be an e-cigarette. As he exhales, the officer in the video appears to draw his gun and take a step to the left.

At the same time, Lopez makes a slight movement to the right. As he does so, another officer off-screen opens fire. Seemingly shocked, the officer in the frame ducks for cover briefly before stepping in and opening fire. The cloud of smoke that Lopez exhaled could still be seen when the officers seemingly stopped shooting.

The 26-year-old was pronounced dead on the sidewalk. The family’s lawyer said officers fired at least 100 shots.

Following the shooting, the California Department of Justice launched an investigation under AB 1506. AB 1506 is a California law that requires the agency to investigate any police shooting that results in the death of an unarmed civilian.

Hemet police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“They took his life at a young age and he didn’t deserve that,” Lopez’s mother said.