Napa Co. DA Rules Police Fatal Shooting Was Justified and Lawful

Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein said Friday that a Napa police detective’s fatal shooting of a Napa man in the city’s Alta Heights neighborhood on March 13 “was a reasonable and lawful response under the totality of the circumstances.”

Lieberstein said criminal charges against Detective Thomas Keener are neither warranted nor supported by the evidence. According to Lieberstein’s review of the shooting, members of the Napa Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit were watching 41-year-old Jaime Jimenez’s residence at 1409 East Ave. in Napa around 4 p.m. to execute a search warrant. When Jimenez approached the officers around 4:50 p.m. he sped away on his motorcycle and the officers pursued him.

Jimenez crashed his motorcycle on a left hand curve, and officers, aware of Jimenez’s prior violent criminal behavior, ordered him to lay on the ground. Jimenez ignored the order, backed away from the officers and reached into his left waistband area.

• Previous: Napa Officer Involved In Shooting Of Man Friday Identified

When Sgt. John Corrigan saw the outline of a gun in Jimenez’s sweatshirt pocket he announced ‘He has a gun! He has a gun,’ Lieberstein said. Keener shot Jimenez three times and Jimenez was pronounced dead at the Queen of the Valley Medical Center at 5:24 p.m.

A loaded .380 pistol was pulled from Jimenez’s left sweatshirt pocket, Lieberstein said. Keener feared for his life and the lives of the other officers and residents of the neighborhood, Lieberstein said.

“Given the totality of the circumstances, Detective Keener was justified in believing that Jimenez presented an immediate and serious threat of death or great bodily harm,” Lieberstein said.

In addition to the gun, Jimenez had an ounce of methamphetamine, a glass smoking pipe and $1,200 cash, Lieberstein said.

Keener was aware Jimenez had 38 involvements with law enforcement in Napa County alone and was associated with the Norteno street gang, Lieberstein said.

--Bay City News

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