The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office has completed its review of the officer-involved shooting which occurred on December 14, 2019. This incident occurred in the city of Ontario and involved the Ontario Police Department.
SYNOPSIS
On December 14, 2019, at about 2:37 am, the City of Ontario received a 911 call, but the caller hung up the telephone. The 911 operator called the number back, which was answered by a male victim.
The operator spoke to the male victim, who was breathing heavily and unable to communicate coherently. The male said he was bleeding from his nose and mouth, and his wife was bleeding from her mouth. When asked by the operator how they sustained their injuries, the male said he did not know.
The victim specifically asked for paramedics, as opposed to police officers, to respond to the call.
At 2:40 am, the Ontario Fire Department dispatched paramedics to the victim’s location in the 1300 block of East F Street in Ontario. The victim stopped talking to the operator, and the call ended.
Ontario Fire Department Medic Engine 135 arrived at the location at 2:46 am with four firefighters. Ontario Police Department Officers Thomas Cho and Eder Vergara arrived less than one minute later.
While the firefighters were getting their equipment, Officer Vergara and Officer Cho approached the residence’s front door. The front door was wood and opened inward. There was a black security screen door that opened outward, which was in front of the wood door’s exterior side. There was an illuminated porch light above the doorway.
Officer Vergara paused for a moment to see if he could hear anything coming from the residence. Hearing nothing, he rang the doorbell and knocked on the screen door. Officer Vergara announced, “Ontario Police.” Officer Cho stood behind and to the left of Officer Vergara.
Within seconds of knocking, the door “cracked open,” and the security screen door swung open towards the officers. The officers could see light coming from inside the residence. The victim saw the police officers and partially exited the residence.
The officers saw the victim had injuries to his face and head. Officer Vergara described the victim’s injuries as “profusely bleeding,” and Officer Cho said the victim had “obvious medical conditions,” with deformities to his face and jaw. The firefighters also saw the victim was injured.
The victim told the officers, “My wife is crazy.” The victim looked over his right shoulder and into the house. Suddenly, the victim said, “She has a gun. The victim quickly moved out of the doorway and past the officers.
Simultaneously, Officers Vergara and Cho saw Christina Robles walking quickly towards the front entrance where the officers were standing. Ms. Robles held a black handgun with both her hands extended in front of her body, which is commonly known as a “two-handed grip.” The handgun was pointed at Officer Vergara’s face as Ms. Robles continued walking forward.
Officer Vergara moved backward and drew his firearm. He fired four rounds at Ms. Robles.
Officer Cho moved backward and drew his firearm. He fired one round at Ms. Robles.
The officers immediately tried to find cover in the front yard, while the firefighters retreated backward and took cover as well. The term “Cover” refers to an object which protects a person from an object or projectile.
Officers Vergara and Cho used their radios to notify other officers and their dispatcher that they had been in a shooting. Ms. Robles could be heard moaning and yelling for help from inside the residence minutes after the shooting.
The shooting occurred within ten seconds after the victim had first opened the door to speak with the officers.
Numerous police officers from the Ontario Police Department responded to the scene. Starting at about 3:04 am, announcements were made over a loudspeaker for Ms. Robles to surrender. Ms. Robles was neither heard nor seen.
After the Ontario Police Department had placed an armored shield near the front entrance and used a scouting team, robots, and drone, they determined it was safe to enter the residence at 7:26 am.
Police officers entered the residence and found Ms. Robles and her two children were deceased in the southwest bedroom of the home. Ms. Robles and the children had what appeared to be gunshot wounds.
During several interviews after the incident, the victim explained he awoke to the sound of gunshots. The victim discovered he and both the children were bleeding from their heads. The victim believed Ms. Robles had shot him in the jaw and had shot the children.
The victim said he had wrestled a knife away from Ms. Robles before calling 911. Before the police officers had arrived on the scene, Ms. Robles shot twice at the victim. The victim had gunshot wounds to his face, neck, left wrist, and back.
An investigation of the residence by crime scene investigators revealed Ms. Robles’ black 9mm “Glock” handgun was empty and found lying on the floor inside the front doorway.
There were five fired cartridge casings in the southwest bedroom, two in or near a hallway bathroom, and two in the living room. It was determined these casings came from Ms. Robles’ handgun.
A bloodied black kitchen knife was found in the living room.
A forensic pathologist discovered two fired bullet fragments during the autopsy of Ms. Robles. The fragments revealed Ms. Robles was shot by her own weapon in addition to being shot by the Ontario Police Officers.
CONCLUSION
The Ontario Police Department investigated this shooting. A review of the investigation, reports, evidence, and statements was completed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
Based on the facts presented in the reports and the applicable law, our office concluded Officer Vergara and Officer Cho’s use of lethal force was a proper exercise of their rights of self-defense and defense of others, and therefore their actions were legally justified.
WHAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW
By providing a thorough explanation to the community regarding the review of officer-involved shootings, it is the intention of District Attorney Jason Anderson and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office to maintain the community’s confidence and trust in its law enforcement officers and district attorney’s office.
Key Points of This Incident
- The victim was awoken by the sounds of gunshots.
- Ms. Robles shot the victim, a female child and a male child.
- Ms. Robles attacked the male with a knife.
- Ms. Robles shot the male.
- Ms. Robles pointed her handgun in the direction of police officers who had arrived on the scene.
- The police officers defended themselves and fired at Ms. Robles.
- Ms. Robles’ deadly actions were stopped, and the community’s safety was no longer in jeopardy.
Police officers train for dangerous situations such as this one and continually update their training as new situations and techniques are identified.
Additionally, police officers have equipment on their belts, vests, and vehicles, which they use to complete their duties.
Police officers are expected and authorized to use the equipment to protect themselves and others from suffering injuries or death. To some, watching a police officer using physical force against another person can be upsetting or disturbing.
Police officers prefer to use the least amount of force, whether it be their mere presence or verbal commands, to diffuse situations. However, there are situations, such as this incident, in which lethal force is necessary for the community and officer’s safety.
In rapidly tense situations, officers do not have a great deal of time planning, revising, or analyzing a situation, such as readers of this article. When a situation evolves, officers must make the best decisions possible to protect and save lives in a condensed amount of time.
The community expects that the people they call upon to protect them, which is law enforcement, will not back down, be intimidated, or run scared when danger presents itself.
On December 14, 2019, Ms. Robles made the decision to shoot her two children with her handgun. Ms. Robles also decided to shoot her husband (“victim”), who was sleeping.
After the victim was awakened, Ms. Robles decided to attack him with a knife. After the victim called 911, Ms. Robles chose to use her handgun and shoot the victim two more times.
When the victim was speaking to the police officers who had arrived in response to his 911 call, Ms. Robles decided to approach the police officers with her handgun.
Ms. Robles chose to point her handgun in the direction of the police officers. Ms. Robles was stopped after the officers shot at her.
There is an extremely high probability this officer-involved-shooting would not have happened had the following occurred:
- Ms. Robles had not shot her children or the victim.
- Ms. Robles had not pointed a firearm at police officers.
THE OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING REVIEW UNIT
The district attorney’s office has always reviewed officer-involved shootings in San Bernardino County.
Upon taking office, District Attorney Jason Anderson wanted a dedicated team of trained and experienced deputy district attorneys and investigators to review these shootings and respond to the scene of shootings.
The review unit did not respond to this shooting scene as the new team’s design and development and its protocols had not been completed.
Please visit SBCountyDA.org/ois to learn more about this team.
As the district attorney’s office, we realize the entire community is affected when force is used by the police, regardless of the situation or circumstances. Our responsibility is to ensure that all parties involved in cases such as the one involving Ms. Robles acted lawfully.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY SHOOTING REVIEW
View San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office Shooting Review: Christina Robles
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