La Puente, California
June 22, 2013
Agencies: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department California LASD
Cause of death: Not Yet Known
Last updated: almost 6 years ago
Ceaser Joe Mendoza, 24, of La Puente, died after being shot by a sheriff’s deputy while fleeing from a traffic stop in his hometown on June 22, 2013. Sheriff’s officials said he had a 9mm handgun in his waistband as he fled, and the deputy opened fire on him twice fearing he was reaching for the gun. Family members of Mendoza have conceded that he was armed, but said they doubt that he ever tried to assault a deputy. The three bullets that struck Mendoza hit him in the back, the back side of his hip and the back side of his arm. A district attorney’s office investigation ruled the shooting justified.