State of California launches independent probes into two fatal officer-involved shootings in Southern California
Los Angeles, California – The California Highway Patrol has started separate investigations into two fatal shootings involving police officers that happened in Southern California on the last day of 2025. This is the start of a formal review process that state law requires.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said that the California Department of Justice is looking into both cases under Assembly Bill 1506, which says that the state must look into when police shootings result in the death of a civilian. The law’s goal is to make sure that an unbiased review happens that is not connected to the agencies involved.
On Wednesday afternoon, the first shooting took place in Fontana. Officials stated the incident happened around 1:36 p.m. and involved officers from the Fontana Police Department. One civilian died from their injuries. Not many details have been made public yet because the investigation is still in its early stages.
A few hours later, there was another deadly incident in the San Pedro district of Los Angeles. The shooting happened at about 9:40 p.m. and involved officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. Just like in the Fontana instance, one person died due to of the confrontation.
After receiving information about both events, the Department of Justice sent its California Police Shooting Investigation Team to gather evidence, talk to witnesses, and look at body-worn camera footage and other materials as required by law. These investigations are not done by the police in the area.
Once the fact-finding process is complete, each case will be sent to the Special Prosecutions Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Law Division. That team will do a separate legal assessment to see if California law allowed the use of deadly force.
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State officials stressed that openness is a key feature of the AB 1506 process. People who might have information about either shooting are invited to get in touch with the Department of Justice directly. As the reviews go on, investigators have set up a special phone line for tips.
The Attorney General’s office has further information on the Department of Justice’s duties and current investigations into officer-involved shootings that is available to the public.
More information on DOJ’s role and responsibilities under AB 1506 is available here: https://oag.ca.gov/ois-incidents.
