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California school safety officer charged with murder for allegedly shooting unarmed 18-year-old

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Posted at 12:10 PM, Oct 28, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-28 15:10:34-04

In California, a school safety officer was charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed 18-year-old woman.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that former Long Beach school safety officer Eddie Gonzalez would be arraigned Friday.

“We must hold accountable the people we have placed in positions of trust to protect us,” District Attorney Gascón said in a news release. “That is especially true for the armed personnel we traditionally have relied upon to guard our children on their way to and from and at school.”

The district attorney's office said Gonzalez was patrolling near Millikan High School on Sept. 27 when he noticed Manuela Rodriguez and another teenage girl get into an altercation.

According to the DA's office, Rodriguez then hopped into the rear passenger seat of a nearby car when Gonzalez allegedly fired his handgun at the vehicle, striking Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was taken to a hospital, where she died approximately one week later.

The Long Beach Police Department is still investigating the case.