At the request of the Rancho Santa Margarita City Council, on Wednesday Lt. Brian Schmutz of the Orange County Sheriff's Dept., gave an update on the officer involved shooting that took place over the weekend.
At the foundation of Schmutz's comments was the request for people to exercise patience and allow the Orange County District Attorney's investigation to take place at a pace that ensures accuracy. But also revealed were a couple of nuggets of new information about the Saturday shooting at 12:57 p.m., the first officer involved shooting in the city's history.
Schmutz clarified that Dennis Mitchell Mueller, 20, had ignored "several requests" to not move and instead advanced on the officer—who has not yet been identified. He also clarified that Mueller's actions were corroborated by several independent witnesses.
Check the video to hear Schmutz, the chief of police services, explain what happened and address issues about the investigation.
Check the other video to hear city council members comment about the shooting; particularly interesting are comments by Steve Baric, who previously worked in the district attorney's office, and Jerry Holloway, a retired policeman.
The item was agendized by Mayor Tony Beall, who wanted to bring attention to his—and the city's—commitment to get answers.
"The underlying goal is to maintain and enhance the credibility and trust with the community both for the city and the police department," Beall said.
"In Rancho Santa Margarita, we always carry out the people's business with openness, honesty and transparency, and I want to personally and publicly reaffirm my commitment to doing so in this instance."
