Rita Elias, 31

Modesto, California
September 25, 2010

Agencies: Modesto Police Department California | Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department California

Cause of death: Not Yet Known


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Last updated: over 3 years ago

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Overview

Detective Kari Abbey was off-duty when she went with her father and kids to one of the rental properties her parents owned in Modesto, California. There she got into an argument with a tenant, 31-year-old Rita Elias. Abbey and her father both say that Elias attacked…

​They claim Elias was armed with a tree branch and a semi-automatic handgun. So Abbey opened fire, killing the woman with multiple shots.

It turned out that the gun was just a BB gun, but manufacturer Crossman likes to makes sure they look like authentic weapons, just so their customers have a better chance of getting killed by police. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department soon ruled that the killing was self-defense.

The incident happened last September, and Abbey went back to work. But the incident never completely went away. A few weeks ago, a new witness came forward, saying the shooting didn’t go down as Abbey claimed. And when police started investigating more thoroughly, they found they had a very corrupt cop on their hands.

Abbey and her parents own rental properties around Modesto, and tenants say the family routinely abused and strong-armed them. They would harass and intimidate them, using fellow officers to deliver eviction notices on county time.

Legal Action

April 2016 Case still winding through the court system

July 2016 Charges Dismissed

Community and Family Efforts

#SayHerName