It’s happened again. The case remains under investigation and all the facts have yet to be uncovered. But here is what we know. While in his truck, 18-year-old Pedro Erick Villanueva was shot by undercover California Highway Patrol officers in Fullerton on July 3. An attorney for the Villanueva family is seeking unspecified damages for the family and an injured passenger who was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, according to the OC Weekly. The CHP asserts that Villanueva used his truck as a weapon and threatened the officers.
These officers may have acted appropriately. The use of deadly force may have been justified. But even if the facts show the use of such force was necessary, the public has been given another opportunity to build a wall between law enforcement and themselves. In addition to the tragedy of this individual case, this adds tension between the public and their law enforcement officials. This may be the most tragic aspect for the nation as every similar shooting is seen through the lens of this violent summer.