OCDA Clears CHP Cop in Fatal Freeway Shooting of Unarmed, Mentally Ill Man

By the accounts of those closest to Mauricio Barron, the 27-year-old Riverside resident showed signs of heightening paranoia in the days leading up to an officer-involved shooting that killed him on the 5 Freeway in Irvine last year. When staying with his sister, Barron heard noises at a vacant house nearby and called police who noted his paranoid demeanor. He didn't go to sleep the night before his girlfriend ran a marathon in Long Beach, overly concerned with who might be outside their hotel room. According to a report released by the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office on Friday, family members intervened the day of the shooting when Barron's stepbrother offered to drive him to Loma Linda Hospital to get help.

Read more on my latest OC Weekly Navel Gazing Blog post:

http://www.ocweekly.com/news/deadly-shooting-on-5-freeway-in-irvine-deemed-justified-8468650