California Department of Justice Releases Report on Officer-Involved Shooting of Scott William Thompson

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), today released a report on Scott William Thompson's death from an officer-involved shooting in Fullerton, California, on March 26, 2024. The incident involved an officer from the Fullerton Police Department (FPD). The report is part of the California Department of Justice's (DOJ) ongoing efforts to provide transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices. The report provides a detailed analysis of the incident and outlines DOJ's findings. After a thorough investigation, DOJ concluded that criminal charges were not appropriate in this case.

"The California Department of Justice is committed to working in partnership with all law enforcement agencies to ensure that we uphold a legal system that is not only fair and transparent but also accountable to the residents of California," said Attorney General Bonta. "We acknowledge that this incident has caused grief for those impacted, including Mr. Thompson's family, the law enforcement agencies involved, and the wider community. We believe that it is our duty to foster trust within our justice system, and we will strive to ensure that the rights and dignity of all individuals are respected and protected."

On March 26, 2024, FPD officers responded to a bank robbery call. Dispatch informed officers that Mr. Thompson was holding a white box and was demanding money with threats that he would detonate a bomb. Officers encountered Mr. Thompson exiting the bank and commanded him to drop the box and surrender. However, Mr. Thompson moved towards the entrance to the bank, and was fatally shot. It was later determined the device in the box was not a real bomb.

Under AB 1506, which requires DOJ to investigate all incidents of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state, DOJ conducted a thorough investigation into this incident and concluded that the evidence does not show, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer involved acted without the intent to defend himself and others from what he reasonably believed to be imminent death or serious bodily injury. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the officer. As such, no further action will be taken in this case.

As part of its investigation, DOJ has identified two policy recommendations that it believes will help prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The first recommendation is that FPD revise its policy and provide training on body worn cameras to state that uniformed officers "shall" activate their body worn cameras rather than state they "should" activate them and clarify the circumstances in which officers who are in plain clothes or otherwise not in uniform can and must activate body worn cameras. The second recommendation is that FPD ensure the policies on its website are updated to include the most recent versions of the policies, as required by law.

Here is a copy of the report.