Salinas police identify man killed in Tuesday’s officer-involved shooting

The day after a crowd of protesters demonstrated in the street, Salinas police held a press conference to discuss the officer-involved shooting that has many community members outraged. It was the second fatal officer-involved shooting in less than two weeks, with both incidents occurring in broad daylight in front of numerous citizens.

Chief Kelly McMillin identified the man killed by officers Tuesday afternoon as Carlos Mejia, a 44-year-old El Salvador native. Prior to Tuesday, McMillin said officers had arrested him in October for being drunk in public and in January for being drunk in public, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.

On Tuesday, 911 dispatchers received a call from a resident who reported a man trying to break into her home and threatening her and her dog. She told dispatchers he was also making sexual remarks to her and had a large pair of scissors or garden shears.

Officers say the man refused orders to stop and that their use of a stun gun on him didn’t work. They also say he lunged at them with the scissors.

At Thursday’s press conference, police played the 911 calls and released transcripts of the call. They also played surveillance footage from the scene, including video footage collected on witnesses’ cellphones that has gone viral.

(To read a transcript from the 911 call, click here. )

Tuesday’s incident galvanized an angry crowd that gathered Wednesday night near where the incident occurred at North Sanborn and Del Monte. Officers say they were responding to reports of a shooting when the crowd came toward them, and an officer administering CPR to the victim was hit in the head of the bottle. The shooting victim, 23-year-old Constantino Garcia, died, leaving behind a wife and young child.

No one has been arrested in connection with Garcia’s death and police are asking witnesses at the scene to come forward. No motive has been released at this time.

This story will be updated.