Calif. police officer arrested after firing shots into air
Nov 8, 2022, 8:47 AM | Updated: 8:52 am
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California police officer was arrested for firing his gun into the air several times in a tavern’s parking lot after drinking with his friends, authorities said.
San Bernardino Police Officer Fidel Ocampo-Rodarte, who was off-duty at the time, fired his service weapon multiple times about 2 a.m. Sunday, then fled the tavern in Blue Jay, the San Bernardino Police Department said in a tweet Monday night.
Ocampo-Rodarte turned himself in hours later and was arrested on suspicion of negligent discharge of a firearm, the police department said in a news release. He was put on administrative leave.
It was not immediately clear whether the officer, who has been with the police department for three years, had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The shooting was captured on surveillance cameras, police said. Authorities found multiple firearms at Ocampo-Rodarte’s home during a search warrant.
“The conduct is not something that is fitting of a San Bernardino police officer, or any officer for that matter,” San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman said in a news release.
Blue Jay is an unincorporated community in the San Bernardino Mountains about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of San Bernandino.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
