California DOJ names deputy, unarmed man killed in Adelanto shooting; state investigates
California's chief law-enforcement agency has identified a San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy and the unarmed civilian he shot and killed in Adelanto last month in what the department described as a traffic stop gone wrong.
Sheriff's Deputy Justin Lopez fatally shot civilian Shane Earl Holland in the early hours of June 21, according to the California Department of Justice's website listing of police shootings being investigated for killing unarmed civilians.
The shooting happened after Lopez pulled over a vehicle that included Holland around 2:40 a.m. in the area of Cactus Road and Highway 395 in Adelanto, the county Sheriff's Department said at the time without identifying the officer or dead civilian.
Many details surrounding the lead-up to and aftermath of the fatal encounter remain unavailable to the public because the state investigation is still considered ongoing. The Sheriff's Department and state DOJ didn't respond to requests for comment Sunday.
Holland's place of residence and age at the time of death aren't included in the state's public disclosures.
Lopez has been on the San Bernardino County payroll as a deputy sheriff since 2019, according to public data gathered by Transparent California.
The Sheriff's Department told the Daily Press a day after the fatal shooting that Lopez, whom it declined to identify at the time, had been placed "on paid admin leave which is standard protocol after being involved in a lethal force encounter." It's unclear if the deputy remains on paid leave, or if he has been placed in either a different disciplinary state or returned to active duty.
Lopez conducted the Adelanto traffic stop "in a single man unit, which is normal for our department," rather than being accompanied by a second patrol officer, a Sheriff's spokesperson said last month.
The department alleges that "a foot pursuit" ensued from the traffic stop that led to Lopez shooting Holland, who was unarmed and pronounced dead at the scene.
The California DOJ that day took over the investigation of a shooting that traditionally would be handled by county authorities.
California Assembly Bill 1506 requires that the state investigate all shootings by police that end in the death of an unarmed civilian. The law took effect July 1, 2021, and makes it the responsibility of a local agency such as the Sheriff's Department to notify the state DOJ immediately when such an incident occurs.
Following notification by local authorities of the June 21 shooting in Adelanto, the state DOJ's Police Shooting Investigation Team for Southern California went to the scene that day, California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office stated in a press release at the time.
"Once the investigation has been completed, it will be turned over to the California Department of Justice’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review," per the news release.
The state DOJ's website as of Sunday listed 20 separate police shootings since July 15, 2021, as being under active investigation in the context of this bill. A separate page for cases completed in this context listed zero cases, indicating no action has been taken by the state in any cases referred to it under AB 1506 since the bill took effect a year ago.
Charlie McGee covers California’s High Desert for the Daily Press, focusing on the city of Barstow and its surrounding communities. He is also a Report for America corps member with The GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and worldwide. McGee may be reached at 760-955-5341 or cmcgee@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @bycharliemcgee.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: California DOJ names deputy, unarmed man killed in Adelanto shooting
