The fatal shooting of an Orcutt man has been ruled a justifiable homicide after a review that recounted the harrowing details leading to the death of triple-murderer David G. McNabb in late 2018.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley on Tuesday released the results of a review of the circumstances surrounding the shooting of McNabb, who killed three people.
After reviewing the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office report, Dudley determined deputies “each acted reasonably in their use of deadly force; therefore, the shooting of David McNabb is a justifiable homicide,” according to state law.
“Each of the four deputies who used lethal force that night reasonably discharged their firearm to stop McNabb from inflicting death or great bodily injury on themselves or their fellow deputies,” the report added.
Shortly after 8 p.m. Dec. 28, 2018, deputies responded to a residence in the 5900 block of Oakhill Drive, inside the gated community of Oakhill Country Estates. Meghan Vaughan had reported finding her girlfriend, Nicole McNabb, “unresponsive in a bathtub and covered in blood,” according to the report.
Deputies found David McNabb, 43, standing at the base of the stairs in a hallway armed with a rifle and at least one visible knife, prompting law enforcement officers to take tactical positions in the living room and kitchen area while facing the armed man.
McNabb refused deputies’ orders for two hours, yelling at them to “Hit me center mass” and to “Do your jobs well!,” according to the report, adding he told them “I can’t go to prison.”
When Senior Deputy Dan Nelson, who knew McNabb because he had previously worked at the jail, said the deputies didn’t want to hurt him, McNabb replied: “Well I already did hurt some people. I promise you that, I promise you that. There is nobody here. I killed them. I killed them. You know I got family members in this area. You know, how’s that going to look if they’re putting money on my books? Are you kidding me? You’re going to put money on my books after I’ve killed three people?”
Detectives Travis Henderson and Geoff Roberts fired less-lethal weapons — a 40 mm launcher, and a bean bag shotgun — but McNabb did not relinquish his rifle.
The rounds caused McNabb to fall forward while holding the weapon with his right hand and swinging it toward multiple deputies.
Four deputies — Jeff Owen, Shane Moore, Matt Delgado and Sgt. Joe Schmidt — fired their weapons, striking McNabb multiple times.
“As deputies approached to try to secure McNabb and render aid, he fought and struggled with them. While a medic was trying to treat McNabb’s chest wound, McNabb grabbed Deputy Matt Delgado’s rifle and tried to pull it away from Deputy Delgado,” the report said. “McNabb then grabbed a knife he had concealed with one hand and grabbed Deputy Delgado’s rifle with the other while pulling Deputy Delgado toward him and making stabbing motions.”
Deputies struggling with McNabb were hampered by his blood pooling on the tile floor, causing them to slip while trying to control the suspect.
”He had a lot of fight in him. He was going to town, from a supine position,” a medic waiting to treat McNabb told investigators.
Ultimately, Delgado shot McNabb in the chest. McNabb, described as 6 feet 2 inches tall and more than 300 pounds, stopped fighting.
After being treated at the scene McNabb was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
During a search of the house, deputies found three homicide victims, including the suspect’s sister, Nicole McNabb, 34, who was stabbed and beaten to death in the bathroom tub.
Also killed were his mother, Melanie McNabb, 64, and Carlos Echavarria, 63, Melanie McNabb’s fiancé. Both were stabbed and bludgeoned by a sledgehammer. Their bodies were found in the garage.
In addition to the rifle, sledgehammer and a knife with the blade nearly bent in half, a search also turned up two knives under the stairs, two more knives at the base of the stairs and a fifth knife in McNabb’s pocket.
Dr. Manuel Montez, forensic pathologist, ruled that multiple gunshot wounds caused McNabb’s death, with five shots entering his chest, abdomen, back, and extremities with perforations of the lungs, diaphragm, liver, intestines, kidney, spleen, stomach and pancreas.
“Testing of the toxicological samples indicated McNabb had nothing of toxicological significance in his system,” the report said.
McNabb worked at the Sheriff’s Department as a custody deputy from July 2001 to March 2012. Authorities said after the homicides he had voluntarily resigned.
However, the report released Tuesday said McNabb “had previously been let go from that position.”
McNabb was arrested in Ventura County in September 2012, convicted of felony domestic violence in 2014, and sentenced to jail time.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.