A Santa Maria police officer used reasonable force last year when he fatally shot a man after an hours-long standoff that ended when the suspect broke an apartment window where a woman and child lived, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office ruled. 

On Tuesday, the District Attorney’s Office released its analysis of the Oct. 31, 2022, fatal shooting of Salvador Qual Meceda, 36.

The analysis relied on investigative reports, video and audio recordings, photographs, and witness interviews by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Detective Daniel Kohli.

“The District Attorney finds the shooting by Santa Maria Police Department Officer Erik Hesch was a justified use of force… and he bears no state criminal liability,” the report says. 

The incident began at approximately 10 p.m. Oct. 30 when Officer Alex Mandujano observed an individual, later identified as Meceda, inside a trash enclosure at 741 S. Western Ave. at La Vista Apartments. 

The officer told Meceda to get out of the trash enclosure, but the man cursed at the officer, pointed a knife with a hook-shaped blade at him, and refused to comply with orders to drop the weapon.

The man later picked up a second weapon, a metal file. 

Other officers arrived and they planned to use less-than-lethal weapons to subdue the suspect, but the rounds had no effect on Meceda, according to the investigative report.

Meceda ran across the street, going upstairs to a small balcony in front of an apartment. 

A woman who was in the apartment with her 9-year-old daughter locked the front door, obtained her Glock handgun, and grabbed her sleeping daughter. 

“She was afraid that if the subject broke into her apartment, she and her daughter would become his hostages,” the report said. “To protect themselves, they barricaded in the bathroom for the next three hours. Her daughter was crying and scared so she placed blankets and a pillow in the bathtub for her to lie on.”

Opening the Ring security camera application, the woman could see the man on the balcony with two weapons. She eventually gave police access to the video so they also could monitor the suspect when he ducked down on the balcony as they tried to communicate with him.

“After several hours of attempting to persuade Meceda to put down his knife and surrender, officers deployed pepperball munitions in an effort to force Meceda to leave the balcony,” the report said.

“Instead, Meceda began throwing items off the balcony at officers. Meceda then used a small folding table to smash the front window of the apartment. 

“When he stood up again to resume breaking the window, Officer Erik Hesch fired a single shot, killing Meceda.”

Dr. Manuel Montez, a forensic pathologist employed by the Sheriff’s Office, determined Meceda died due to a single gunshot wound to the neck and head. 

Toxicology tests revealed Meceda had methamphetamine and amphetamine in his blood. 

The Coroner’s Bureau determined Meceda’s manner of death was homicide. 

“In reviewing the evidence and considering all of the circumstances, the actions taken by Officer Hesch were reasonable based on the facts known and perceived by him at the time of the shooting,” the report said. 

“Officer Hesch reasonably believed that Meceda posed an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death to the residents inside apartment #35. Meceda first threatened officers with a knife. When he advanced on officers, they deployed less lethal force on him twice – both had little if any effect on him.

“Then Meceda engaged in a three hour stand-off on the landing of an apartment where a mother and child were trapped inside and afraid for their lives. Meceda was armed with knives, and instead of retreating from the landing, he smashed the window of the apartment to gain entry. 

“Any reasonable law enforcement officer would perceive these actions as an immediate lethal threat to the residents in apartment #35 posed by Meceda. Therefore, Officer Hesch’s use of lethal force was justified and he bears no state criminal liability for his actions,” the report concluded.

The full report can be found by clicking here.