The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office has released new information and videos related to a deadly officer-involved shooting at an Orcutt market.
The shooting happened on the evening of Saturday, March 25, 2023, at Melody Market on Foster Rd.
Manuel Reyes Rios, 19, died at the scene.
Surveillance video from the market, released by the sheriff's office on Wednesday, shows the moments before and after the shooting.
It shows a few people going in and out of the market before a gray car pulls up. Three people exit and go into the market. One of them was Rios.
A dark-colored pickup truck then pulls in and a man, identified as Santa Maria Police Officer Antonio Peña, enters the market, followed by a woman who had just pulled up in a white SUV. Peña was off-duty at the time.
Then, Rios, who is wearing a red hoodie, walks out of the market and is approached by two other men in the parking lot. He is followed out of the market by another man in a yellow shirt, who confronts the two men, who are wearing gray hoodies.
The driver of the gray car backs up, and as one of the two men starts to throw a punch at the man in yellow, the driver lunges forward, hitting the two men in gray.
That's when Rios can be seen pulling out a gun and apparently firing shots toward the two men. Sheriff's officials say one of them was struck by the gunfire.
In the meantime, Officer Peña has returned to his vehicle.
At this point, it's difficult to see what happens because Rios runs behind Peña's truck.
According to the sheriff's office, Peña drew his gun and police badge, identified himself as an officer, and ordered Rios to stop shooting and surrender.
Officials say Rios again shot toward the other two men, and Peña fired his weapon at Rios.
The video then shows Officer Peña calling for emergency services on his cell phone and ushering uninvolved bystanders into the market.
Deputies arrived in about three minutes.
Rios was pronounced dead at the scene and the coroner's investigation reportedly determined that he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Sheriff's officials say the other people involved in the altercation fled the scene.
The sheriff's office says they are continuing to investigate the incident and are asking anyone with further information to contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division at (805) 681-4150. To leave an anonymous tip, call (805) 681-4171 or visit the sheriff's website.
