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Armando Garcia-Muro has been identified as the 17-year-old boy shot and killed by sheriff deputies in California when they opened fire on a charging pit bull and the bullets ricocheted off the ground. Garcia-Muro was struck in the chest by at least one “skip” round.
What Happened?
Los Angeles County sheriff deputies opened fire at an aggressive pit bull in Palmdale, California.
“He may have been struck by one of the skip rounds in what we’re calling an extremely, extremely unfortunate incident,” LASD Capt. Christopher Bergner told Buzzfeed News.
“Our initial impression was [the deputies] didn’t even see the individual coming around from the side of the building.”
Law enforcement were responding to a music complaint at a house party when the dog charged them and bit one of the deputies on the knee. Garcia-Muro was said to have come out from behind the apartment and temporarily restrained the pit bull by carrying it to the back of the building. But the dog returned as deputies waited for paramedics, at which point they opened fir and struck it at close range. Authorities found Garcia-Muro in the carpet area with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a hospital but later pronounced dead.
The deputy who was bitten by the dog was also struck by a ricocheted shot and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Garcia-Muro’s aunt, Amber Alcantar, told the Los Angeles Times that her nephew was about to enter his senior year at R. Pex Parris High School in Palmdale.
The owner of the dog lives in the apartment complex. She said that her home is used as a local hangout by some of the kids in the area.
“They are all my friends,” the woman said. “They are good kids. They come over and they listen to music.”
She maintains that her dog was well behaved and that the deputies’ description does not match the dogs personality.
“Thats not my dog. That’s not his personality,” she said.
Armando Garcia-Muro
Armando Garcia-Muro was a 17-year-old boy who lived in Palmdale, Los Angeles, California. He was killed when officers opened fire on an aggressive pit bull and a bullet ricocheted and struck him in the chest.
