Full Notification

                                                                                       NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                            January 18, 2022              
CONTACT:  Adán Ortega, Spokesperson
                      714 600-4683
                       [email protected]
 
                                                       Statement from City of Rialto Police Department
Status Update to October 22, 2021 – Lethal Force Encounter on North Encina Avenue, Rialto

                City of Rialto, California, January 18, 2022 – “On Friday, October 22, 2021, the City of Rialto’s Police Department issued a press release describing a lethal force encounter on North Encina Avenue, that resulted in an officer shooting a suspect, Mr. Cristopher Valadez, 23, who later died after efforts by police officers and emergency hospital doctors to save his life.  

                The basic facts described in the October 22, 2021, news release have not changed.  The basic facts are that the suspect refused to obey several officers’ commands; the suspect attempted to flee the scene using his vehicle; and the suspect using his vehicle as a weapon accelerated towards another officer who took action to protect himself by shooting the suspect.

                On October 22, 2021, the Rialto Police Department also disclosed that the matter and all records and video related to the incident described above, was referred to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the County District Attorney for investigation, which is protocol in these encounters. Due to the nature of the multiple agency investigation it can take up to a year for the case to conclude.

                In the aftermath of the incident on October 22, 2021, we understand that edited bystander video and edited officer body worn camera footage was publicly posted, released on several social media platforms and the news media. The edited footage does not show the full incident.

                The City of Rialto’s Police Department will limit comments to these basic facts until conclusions are finalized by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.  The full context of the incident will be made available to the news media and the public upon review by the Rialto City Council. 

                The use of lethal force by Rialto Police Officers is a matter of utmost importance in our training, incident procedures and policies.  We await the County District Attorney’s conclusions.  When lethal force is used, we fully understand the significance of police action and in this case empathize with the Valadez family, the involved officers, their immediate family, and the entire community.  The Rialto Police Department will endeavor to act with full transparency in this and future incidents.”

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