SANTA MARIA - Much has changed in the City of Santa Maria since the tragic shooting of Santa Maria Police officer Albert Covarrubias Jr. by fellow officers who were trying to arrest him while he was on duty.
Its one of the most unusual police shootings in law enforcement history and in the history of the Santa Maria Police Department.
Investigators say fellow Santa Maria Police officers went to arrest officer Albert Covarrubias Jr. while he was on duty in the early morning hours of January 28, 2012 for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a then 17 year old female SMPD Police Explorer Scout.
Investigators say Covarrubias, tipped off that his alleged relationship was already revealed to his colleagues, put up a struggle with the arresting officers at the corner of Broadway and McElhenny where he fired his gun.
Investigators say one of the SMPD officers on scene, Matt Kline, the Best Man at Covarrubias's recent wedding and his best friend in the department, returned fire which ultimately killed Covarrubias.
After the deadly shooting, then Santa Maria Police Chief Dan Macagni, whom investigators later determined was never involved in the decision to arrest Covarrubias while he was still on duty, spoke to reporters about the loss of one of his officers at the hands of fellow officers.
"The information we had in hand demanded that we not let him leave that scene , drive somewhere, it would put the public at risk", Macagni told reporters, "we just did not know what was going to happen, we did not expect him to react the way he did."
One year later, there's only remnants of what was a symbolic display of the emotional toll the shooting death of Albert Covarrubias Jr. had on this family, friends and the community where they had turned a fire hydrant at the scene near where he died into a roadside memorial.
The shooting death of Albert Covarrubias Jr. is the subject of an ongoing investigation and litigation which might explain why his family members declined to talk about how they are doing one year after this tragic shooting.
Last year the City of Santa Maria and the Covarrubias family settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of the 17 year old SMPD Explorer Scout allegedly involved with Albert Covarrubias Jr.
