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Critical Incident Reports

Critical Incident Protocol

The role of the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office in a law enforcement employee involved fatal incident is to:

  • Review the investigation to determine if there exists any criminal liability on the part of the law enforcement employee.
  • Provide assistance to the investigating agency regarding legal issues.
  • Supplement the investigation when necessary.
  • When appropriate, prosecute those persons believed to have committed crimes, if any.

The District Attorney is not charged with reviewing the administrative policies of the involved law enforcement agency, or determining whether the involved employee has violated any agency rules, regulations or conditions of employment.

The District Attorney’s Office will continue to release reports to the public with regard to findings in law enforcement involved fatal incidents. By doing so, it is hoped that the public will have a better understanding of the dynamics in play when an incident occurs requiring the invocation of the law enforcement employee involved fatal incident protocol.

Reports regarding each review and finding have been forwarded to the Grand Jury, as set forth in the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Chiefs’ Protocol.

 

2025 July 19 - A.R.

On July 19, 2025, A.R. died in Sonoma County as a result of a solo vehicle traffic collision which occurred while he was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by an intoxicated driver, traveling at a high rate of speed to evade law enforcement. Minutes earlier, in the city of Petaluma, the vehicle had been reported to law enforcement as a possible driver under the influence. Petaluma Police caught up to the vehicle at the intersection of Frates and Lakeville Highway, stopped at the intersection travelling southbound on Lakeville. As the Petaluma Police officer attempted a traffic stop, the driver of the vehicle sped away on Lakeville Highway. The vehicle reached speeds that exceeded 90 mph, swerved into the opposing lane of traffic multiple times, and its driver eventually lost control near Old Lakeville Highway 1, where the vehicle overturned and rolled multiple times, ejecting all four of its occupants. A.R. was declared deceased at the scene. The other three occupants, all minors, including the driver, sustained various levels of injury and were transported to local area hospitals.

 

2026 March 12 - Eric Keith Brown

This report includes a summary of facts surrounding the shooting of Eric Keith Brown, a statement of the applicable law, legal analysis and conclusions. This report does not and cannot  include all of the information contained in the reports and digital media reviewed in its  preparation. However, every effort has been made to include in this report a summary of all  relevant, material evidence gathered by the involved agency and the investigating agencies over  the course of its extensive investigation of this death.

 

2025 August 14 - Matteo Alexander Ramirez-Santos

This report details the investigation into the officer-involved fatal shooting of Matteo Alexander Ramirez-Santos by Santa Rosa Police Department officers on August 14, 2025. The incident followed a series of violent events, including domestic violence and threats involving Mr. Ramirez-Santos, who was wanted on multiple felony warrants. Law enforcement responded to a 911 call from his ex-girlfriend who reported being assaulted and threatened with a firearm. A standoff ensued at the Keegan Drive residence, during which Mr. Ramirez-Santos refused to surrender and made statements indicating suicidal intent and threats against officers. Mr. Ramirez-Santos was shot with a single round discharged from a firearm by Santa Rosa Police Department Officer Sean Keaney. Mr. Ramirez-Santos died because of those gunshot wounds.The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department led the investigation, with support from the District Attorney’s Office, in accordance with established protocols for officer-involved fatalities. The report summarizes the facts, including Mr. Ramirez-Santos’ criminal background, the events leading up to the shooting, and the actions of law enforcement during the standoff. Body-worn camera footage and witness statements confirmed that Mr. Ramirez-Santos was armed and fired at officers before being fatally shot by Officer Sean Keaney, who acted to protect fellow officers from imminent harm.After a thorough review of the evidence and applicable legal standards, the District Attorney concluded that the use of deadly force was justified under California law. The investigation found no basis for criminal charges against the involved officers, citing the imminent threat posed by Mr. Ramirez-Santos and his intent to provoke a lethal confrontation.

 

2024 March 4 - Jose Luis Cervantes Villasenor

On March 4, 2024, just after midnight, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office received two calls for service from La Hacienda del Toro – a restaurant and nightclub located at the intersection of Todd Road and Stony Point Road in southwest, unincorporated Santa Rosa.In summary, the callers reported that a person (later identified as Jose Cervantes Villasenor) was in a white four-door sedan with a gun on his lap. One caller described the gun as a black handgun. The other described it as a rifle. The person with the gun reportedly threatened security personnel while brandishing the weapon.

 

2024 March 12 - John Rector

On March 12, 2024, fifty-five-year-old John Rector shot himself in the head with his own firearm inside the Best Western Petaluma Inn while law enforcement was attempting to take him into custody. Mr. Rector died as a result of this gunshot wound a few days later. Following the infliction of the gunshot wound, the Santa Rosa Police Department invoked the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Employee-Involved Fatal Incident Protocol (“protocol”). The purpose of this protocol is to set forth procedures and guidelines to be used by Sonoma County law enforcement agencies in the criminal investigation of specifically defined incidents involving law enforcement employees. Under this protocol an outside law enforcement agency is designated to investigate officer-involved fatalities.