James De La Rosa: Cause Of Death And Who Was His Killer?
We gain a thorough understanding of the realities of our justice system thanks to Hulu’s “Killing County,” a documentary series that delves into the allegedly ruthless practises of the Kern County, California, police agencies.
To fully shed light on the surge in officer-involved violence over the past five years, it includes archival footage as well as first-person testimony from people who were close to the situation.
James De La Rosa’s case is one of the ones that will be chronicled in this three-part series, so if you’re interested in learning more, we’ve got all the information you need.
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James De La Rosa: Cause of Death
James (born Ramiro James “Gordo” Villegas) had already made a name for himself in Bakersfield at the age of just 22 when he perished in one of the most horrific ways imaginable.
He was actually the youngest of six children and hence, in addition to working for the excavation contractor firm Sturgeon and Sons, was allegedly quite close to his family.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the youngster meant a lot to many people before everything fell apart on Mount Vernon Avenue in the late afternoon of November 13, 2014.
When Bakersfield Police Department officers sought to stop James’ Jeep on this fateful Thursday after observing it drive strangely, it set off a series of events that no one could have predicted.
After all, he didn’t yield and drove through onto Highway 178, starting a high-speed automobile chase that ended when he abruptly slammed into a signal light post as he exited the highway.
James allegedly leapt out of his Jeep and started walking toward them in a violent manner, especially given that he disregarded any orders to stop doing so. The officers on the scene shot him to death as soon as he touched the waistband of his jeans, believing he was about to assault them and keep them from escaping.
Who was James De La Rosa’s killer?
James undoubtedly died as a result of the cops’ split-second choice to use force, but a review board finally determined there was no criminal activity. The four police officers who ambushed the 22-year-old were found to have acted in accordance with department rules while still adhering to state and federal laws, despite the fact that he was unarmed.
It’s important to note that these four officers were Senior Officer Rick Wimbish, Officer Edgar Aguilera, Officer Frank McIntyre, and Officer Valeria Robles from the Bakersfield Police Department. The last three were the ones to fire their work-assigned guns amid the confusion, while the former had attempted to use his taser as James neared them but failed because the darts entirely missed him.
All four of these people were permitted to go back to work, however Aaron Stringer was the one who was put on administrative leave on November 15, 2013, and then fired permanently in 2014.
Although he was not a part of the shooting, he engaged in a sick prank with James’ body at Kern Medical Center in the hours that followed that horrified both residents and officials.
Prior to travelling with a rookie to the hospital where the victim had been taken, Senior Officer Aaron had helped secure the area. He then arrived with the sole purpose of manipulating the victim’s corpse.
The police force does have a clear policy of no touching, however it is stated that experienced officers frequently have trainees inspect the corpse after such instances to educate them on every aspect.
Aaron, however, tickled James’ feet while repeating “tickle, tickle,” pulled on his toes, moved his head and mouth, and even made a joke about how rigour mortis hadn’t yet taken hold of him.
As if that weren’t disturbing enough, he added that he “loves toying with dead bodies” to his subordinate, making them uncomfortable enough to report the entire incident to guarantee that appropriate action was taken.
It’s important to remember that James’ family sued the city for wrongful death, civil rights violations, and “tortious interference with the decedent’s body” in addition to other claims.
had actually cooperated with the authorities’ orders. His loved ones feel he was probably only intending to fix his loose pants when he grabbed for his waistline, nothing more, because he had recently lost a significant amount of weight. The Bakersfield Police Department did not acknowledge any wrongdoing or offer an apology as part of the final settlement of this lawsuit.
Even though it has been five years, the pain is still unbearable.
Those closest to James De La Rosa, who died in a widely reported officer-involved shooting in 2014, gathered on Wednesday at Greenlawn Cemetery to remember his brief life.
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James De La Rosa: Mother’s Claimed
Leticia De La Rosa, James’ mother, remarked, “Today I have to remember that it was the final day that I saw my son.”
She claimed that the memorial service was held annually by the family on the birthday and death anniversary of her son.
She claimed that this year was the first time she had gone to work on the day her son passed away. She works for the Bakersfield City School District as a cafeteria woman.
She replied, glancing around the group, “I didn’t want to stay at home simply crying.” They encourage me since they deeply loved him.
After an alleged high-speed chase, Bakersfield police shot and killed De La Rosa, whose real name was James Villegas, in 2014. Despite being unarmed, he allegedly pushed aggressively toward officers, which led to the shooting, according to BPD.
Numerous mourners and protesters showed up in large numbers to a candlelight memorial held in his memory because his death touched a nerve in the neighbourhood.
After De La Rosa was shot, one of the implicated policemen allegedly tickled his toe as he was on a stretcher at Kern Medical Center. The British newspaper The Guardian exploited this incident to draw attention to the high frequency of police shootings in Kern County.
At the time, the BPD report that De La Rosa gave the police a chase before smashing into a light pole at Highway 178 and Mt. Vernon Avenue attracted a lot of community attention. De La Rosa reportedly exited his car with his arms out at the moment, according to witnesses, contradicting some critics of the police account of the incident.
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De La Rosa: Family Got Interested In Political Advocacy
De La Rosa’s family got interested in political advocacy after his passing. They played a significant role in the recent adoption of AB-392, which toughened guidelines for police use of deadly force.
The bill was passed in August, and Gov. Gavin Newsom praised it for encouraging law enforcement officials to use de-escalation strategies like verbal persuasion rather than entering potentially violent situations head-on.
Although supporters of the law claim it is a positive step, the Bakersfield Police Department asserted comparable regulations had already been implemented at the time, undermining claims that the new bill will make significant changes.
Although De La Rosa’s passing may have spurred some family members to take action, many claimed they still found it difficult to move on with their lives.
The best friend of De La Rosa, Juan Quezada, remarked, “It gets harder as the years go by. It just dawned on me while I was driving home that today is my best friend’s five-year wedding anniversary.
James De La Rosa: Brother
Greg De La Rosa, De La Rosa’s brother, concurred that the feelings were still intense.
I’m quite emotional, but I maintain my composure for my mum, he admitted.
The group intended to light candles at the scene of De La Rosa’s murder on Mt. Vernon Avenue after the memorial. They expressed their desire to preserve De La Rosa’s memory for a long time to come.
Everyone will always be familiar with James’ tale, according to his mother. Because I’ll always be a voice, I suppose.
With Hulu’s “Killing County,” which delves deeply into the allegedly brutal tactics used by the Kern County, California, police agencies, we have a complete understanding of the realities of our justice system.
In other words, it combines archive video with first-person testimonies from people who were directly involved in the case to shed insight on the recent spike in officer-related shootings. James De La Rosa’s case is one of the ones that will be chronicled on this three-part true, so if you want to learn more about the same, we’ve got all the information you need right here.
James De La Rosa: Age
James (born Ramiro James “Gordo” Villegas) had already made a name for himself in Bakersfield when he lost his life in one of the worst ways possible while he was just 22 years old.
He was actually the youngest of six children and hence allegedly quite close to his family in addition to working for the excavation contractor business Sturgeon and Sons.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that “the youngster” meant a lot to a lot of people, only for everything to fall apart on Mount Vernon Avenue in the late afternoon of November 13, 2014.
Officers from the Bakersfield Police Department attempted to stop James’ Jeep on this fateful Thursday after observing it was driving strangely, which set off a chain of events that no one could have possibly predicted. After all, he didn’t yield and pushed through onto Highway 178, starting a high-speed car chase that ended when he abruptly slammed into a sign light post as he exited the highway.
According to police information, James jumped out of his Jeep and approached them in an apparent hostile manner, especially because he didn’t even comply with any instructions to kneel down. The officers on the scene opened fire as soon as he touched his waistband on the assumption he was about to attack them so they could get away again, and they shot him to death.
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