About 50 people rallied in the parking lot of the Dollar Tree store in Roseland late this afternoon to protest Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch's decision not to charge a sheriff's deputy with the shooting murder of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in October.
Ravitch held a news conference in Santa Rosa this afternoon and called the shooting of Lopez "absolutely tragic," but said the actions of Sonoma County sheriff's Deputy Erick Gelhaus were lawful and that he would not be charged.
[Previous: Sonoma County DA To Announce No Charges in Andy Lopez Shooting.]
Alfredo Sanchez, of Santa Rosa, who was one of several speakers at today's rally, told the crowd that Gelhaus "needs to be taken out of his occupation."
On Oct. 22, 2013, the teen was walking with a BB pellet rifle on Moorland Avenue just outside of Santa Rosa when Gelhaus and another deputy saw him.
Gelhaus told investigators he ordered Lopez to drop the rifle, but the barrel of the gun rose as the teen turned toward the deputies' patrol car.
Gelhaus, who said he feared for his life, fired eight shots at Lopez, who was struck by seven bullets and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The district attorney's office today released a 52-page report on what Ravitch called an "exhaustive" investigation into the details of the shooting.
Human rights attorney Jonathan Melrod said Ravitch's decision condones brute force by police and said that Gelhaus deserves to be charged with murder.
At today's rally, Maria de Los Angeles, of Roseland, said law enforcement officers who may have served in Iraq and Afghanistan before they were hired need to be screened for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Sonoma County Sheriff Steve Freitas released a statement about Ravitch's decision, saying his "heart goes out to the friends of Andy Lopez, the involved deputies, and the entire Sonoma County community during this difficult time."
"We as a community need to come together to find every possible way to minimize the potential of a tragic incident like this from happening again," Freitas said.
After about an hour of rallying outside the Dollar Tree, the crowd decided to march to the Andy Lopez memorial site on Moorland Avenue.
Another protest is planned for 1 p.m. Tuesday outside Ravitch's office in the Sonoma County Superior Courthouse in Santa Rosa and another rally is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa.
At the rally today, Sanchez urged the crowd to be nonviolent at upcoming rallies.
"We must be peaceful tomorrow and not be like them. They brought the violence to us," he said.
--Bay City News
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