KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - NewsSanta Maria Police Kill One of Their Own: Watch The Full News Conference

Santa Maria Police Kill One of Their Own: Watch The Full News Conference

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Watch the 2pm news conference regarding the early Saturday morning officer involved shooting.  The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting.  Watch the entire news conference right here.

Here is a portion of the Santa Maria Police Department news release regarding the shooting:

The Santa Maria Police Department had been conducting an internal criminal Investigation against one of their own members of the department, a police officer, for allegations of sexual misconduct against a minor. That investigation became apparent to the officer being investigated while he was on-duty and it was necessary to make an arrest of the officer. As officers attempted to affect the arrest, the officer struggled with the arresting officers, drew his weapon, and fired. In response, one officer on scene fired at the suspect officer hitting him once.

The officer was transported to Marian Medical Center where life-saving measures were conducted.  Although diligent attempts were made to save the officer, he passed away from the injury.

The Santa Maria Police Department is deeply saddened by this tragic loss and has expressed condolences to the family of the officer. The name of the deceased officer is being withheld pending complete notification of family members.