People v. Morales CA6

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Shooting On February 25, 2022, around 10:30 p.m., Officer Alvarado stopped Morales’ car. Before Officer Alvarado could exit his car, Morales left his own car, walked to the officer’s car, and fired multiple shots in rapid succession. Officer Alvarado’s body camera shows that he was trying to open the door when shots were fired, shattering the glass, and afterwards Officer Alvarado fell out the open door. Morales drove off, and a bystander called 911. When other police officers arrived, they found Officer Alvarado hanging out the driver’s side door. As one arriving officer’s body camera showed, Officer Alvarado’s face was covered in blood, and he had a dozen gunshot wounds in the head, neck, shoulder, and upper body. Officers tried CPR, but Officer Alvarado did not respond. Soon thereafter, Officer Alvarado was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

2 Officers searching the scene found 13 nine-millimeter shell casings, and two .45-caliber casings, the latter of which appeared to be from the pistol issued to Officer Alvarado. Officers also found a single black slipper. B. The Arrest and Investigation After evading a bystander who attempted to…