Statewide — The California Department of Justice (DOJ) says its Assembly Bill (AB) 1506 investigation into the fatal shooting of Jaque Rabon, 23, by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Riverside remains active and that it will conduct an independent review once its probe is complete.
In a Jan. 23 press release, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the DOJ’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team has taken over the case and will turn it over to the department’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division following the investigative phase for “independent review.”
Under AB 1506, enacted in 2021 to expand the attorney general’s oversight of fatal civilian police shootings, the DOJ is required toinvestigate and independently review officer-involved shootings that result in the death of an unarmed civilian.
According to the DOJ’s publicly posted policy, the law is intended to “help build and maintain trust between law enforcement and thecommunities they serve” by ensuring investigations and prosecutorial decisions are handled by the state rather than local authorities.
The initial press release did not provide details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting or whether Rabon was armed, andthe DOJ has not released additional narrative evidence or a detailed timeline as the investigation continues.
The attorney general’s office reiterated that much of the information in active cases is preliminary and subject to change asinvestigators gather facts, interview witnesses and review evidence.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office confirmed deputies were involved in the Jan. 22 incident but has released limited information about how or why deadly force was used.
The department may conduct its own administrative review of deputy actions separate from the state criminal investigation, but it has said little publicly beyond acknowledging its cooperation with the DOJ review.
The broader framework for transparency in police use-of-force incidents in California, including the public posting of current AB 1506 cases, follows other state reforms such as Senate Bill (SB) 1421, which made certain police records public under the CaliforniaPublic Records Act, a change law enforcement agencies and civil rights advocates said would improve accountability.
As of Feb. 13, the DOJ has not released body-worn camera footage, detailed findings or conclusions about the legality of deputies’ actions in the Rabon shooting.
The department’s AB 1506 guidance states that after the review is complete, it will prepare a written report explaining the facts,applicable law and reasons for its prosecutorial decision, and it may include recommendations for law enforcement agency practices.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the attorney general’s office has said it will provide updates as appropriate while protectinginformation that cannot be publicly disclosed during an active probe.
