Gustavo Najera, 22

Anaheim, California
February 09, 2016

Agencies: Anaheim Police Department California | Orange County District Attorney ’s Office California

Cause of death: Shooting


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Last updated: over 5 years ago

Overview

22-year-old Gustavo Najera was shot and killed by an Anaheim police officer early morning on February 9, 2016 in Sage Park, officials said.

A man was reportedly knocking on multiple residences’ doors shortly before midnight Monday in the 1300 block of West Lido Place. One of the residents “told the man to go away, but he came back a short time later and knocked again, so (the resident) told him to go away again,” Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said.

The resident called 911, and two Anaheim police officers searched the neighborhood until 12:38 a.m. before giving up. One officer drove into the nearby northwest side Sage Park as a last-ditch effort to search for the man.

“At 12:41, the first broadcast is that he’s been involved in an officer-involved shooting,” Wyatt said.

Details about what lead up to or caused the officer to fire his gun were not released. The District Attorney’s Office responded to the park to handle the investigation. No weapon was found at the scene, Wyatt said.

Najera was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange where he died at 1:21 a.m., according to the coroner’s office

Police were wearing body cameras. "The identity of the Anaheim police officer who shot and killed Gustavo Najera, a 22 year-old unarmed man, is now known. Details into the incident at Sage Page on Febuary 9 remain scant but a public records request by The Other Anaheim named German Alvarez as the officer involved. In an initial review, Alvarez doesn't appear on any Orange County District Attorney investigations into prior shootings by Anaheim police."

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