Calif. Officer Cleared in Shooting of Suicidal Man
June 07--Prosecutors declined to file charges against a San Bernardino police officer who fired a gun at a suicidal man in November.
Officer Johnny Mack Turner saw 43-year-old Jon McAllister Taylor raise a 9mm Glock toward several officers surrounding an apartment building, prosecutors wrote in a report released by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office today.
Turner shot Taylor, striking him in the chest, and Taylor shot himself in the head. The shots were almost simultaneous.
"There is no way to tell if Mr. Taylor intended solely to shoot himself, which did happen, but legally Officer Turner was not required to wait and see," prosecutors wrote.
Police initially came to the complex on North Sierra Way on Nov. 28 after a woman dialed 9-1-1, saying a man in her apartment fired a gun and wouldn't give her the weapon.
SWAT officers surrounded the building and ordered Taylor to surrender. Police evacuated neighboring residents. About 15 minutes later, Taylor walked out of the apartment and held the gun by the slide. He did not drop the gun, but instead headed back inside.
He came out a second time, holding the grip of the gun and his finger on the trigger guard.
"Officer Turner then fired his AR-15 one time as this occurred and saw Taylor raise his gun to his head and shoot himself," prosecutors wrote.
San Bernardino County coroner's officials determined Taylor had a blood-alcohol level of .23 percent and had marijuana in his system. The Coroner's
Department ruled his death a suicide.
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