A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy agreed to a plea deal Tuesday in the fatal shooting of a man in East Los Angeles, avoiding jail time under an agreement with prosecutors rejected by the victim’s family.
Remin Pineda was immediately sentenced to two years’ probation, 250 hours of community service, and one year of mandatory counseling for the murder of David Ordaz Jr., whose family was previously murdered on March 14, 2021. has filed a federal lawsuit above shooting. LA County Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold suspended a 180-day jail sentence as part of the deal, in which Pineda pleaded no contest to both assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assault by a public officer.
The 40-year-old former deputy must also give up his peace officer certification and write an apology to Ordaz’s family.
Family members had called the police According to prosecutors, Ordaz, a 34-year-old father of three, was allegedly armed with a knife, was having a mental health crisis and was suicidal. The lawsuit alleged that unjustified deadly force was used when Ordaz was shot in the back and killed, in front of his family, while he lay on the ground and posed no threat.
KCAL News
“If you watch the video, you will see that David loses his life the second after he fires that last shot,” his partner, Jazmine Moreno, said when the lawsuit was filed months after the fatal shooting.
After filing charges, in November 2022, the Los Angeles County district attorney alleged that Pineda continued shooting after Ordaz fell to the ground.
“After arriving and speaking with Ordaz, who was armed with a knife, two officers fired bean bags at him as he approached the officers. Ordaz then ran toward the officers with the knife and he was shot multiple times by officers,” said the district attorney’s office. statement reads. “After Ordaz fell to the ground, dropped the knife and lay with his back to the deputies, Pineda is accused of continuing to fire his gun.”
On Tuesday, some of Ordaz’s family members urged the judge not to approve the plea deal and let the case go to trial.
“I speak on behalf of my entire family that we disagree,” said Hilda Pedroza, Ordaz’s older sister, as she addressed Judge Arnold. “Give us an opportunity for the community of LA, for the county of LA, to actually watch this video and give them an opportunity to see it for themselves and judge for themselves.”
“It’s been terrible living without him for the past three years,” Pedroza said. “Part of our family was taken, stolen. Our family is no longer the same.”
Arnold ultimately approved the plea deal, saying he had “concerns about whether this was the right thing to do” but that it was “consistent with justice.”
During the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Ryan Dibble said the maximum penalty for one of the crimes is up to nine years, while the other is punishable by up to eight months.
