Man shot by Oxnard police moved from hospital to jail, charged with felonies

Isaiah Nichols, who was shot in the street last month by Oxnard police officers while holding kitchen shears, was released from the hospital Wednesday and immediately arrested and taken to Ventura County Jail.

Nichols appeared in Ventura County Superior Court on Thursday, in a wheelchair and in jail custody, to face charges that include assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and attempted murder. His arraignment — the hearing at which he is expected to enter a plea — was postponed until July 25, when the court will also consider his eligibility for a program that would provide mental health treatment instead of jail.

Nichols, 27, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to his family. His sisters and mother attended Thursday’s hearing and said afterward that they are concerned about the level of care that he’s getting in jail and would like to see him in a psychiatric hospital instead.

“This has been a mental health case for a while,” said his sister, Rose Nichols. “We’ve been trying to get him help for years, since 2020.”

Nichols’ mother is the alleged victim in the attempted murder. According to police and prosecutors, he stabbed her on May 17, in an incident that was captured on a security camera in Oxnard.

There was a warrant out for his arrest when someone called 911 on May 26 to report a man wandering the streets with kitchen shears. Oxnard police responded to the call and ended up shooting Nichols after he refused to drop the scissors.

During Thursday’s court appearance, Nichols was served with a protective order that forbids him from any violent or threatening contact with his mother. He is still allowed to be in contact with her.

After the hearing, his mother, Bertha Aguilar, said she doesn’t want her son prosecuted for trying to kill her. Statements by police that he stabbed her multiple times in the head were false, she said, though she would not go into the details of what actually happened.

“My son is not a criminal,” Aguilar said. “He’s a person that’s suffering from mental health. … I’m not a victim of him. I’m a victim of a failed mental health system, and so his he.”

Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man shot by Oxnard police arrested, charged with felonies