New body camera footage captures the moments leading up to a deadly deputy-involved shooting at an Orange County home
Law enforcement responded to the residence following a 911 call reporting an in-progress burglary.
Shortly after arriving, deputies reportedly shot and killed the homeowner, believing he was holding a knife, according to investigative documents.
On Feb. 8, shortly after 11:30 p.m., 26-year-old Jose Luis Lopez was inside his home located on W Castle Street when someone began breaking into his home, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities identified the suspect who broke into Lopez’ home as Cristian Contreras.
Deputies said Contreras had planned to stay the night at the residence but was kicked out after an argument over splitting the cost of beer.
He refused an Uber ride home and used a ladder to break into the house, officials said.
When deputies arrived at the home, they heard a man yelling for help in Spanish. They saw the two men through a kitchen window and began ordering them out of the residence.
Authorities said the deputies saw one of the men – later identified as Contreras – being held “hostage” in a headlock and believed he was in imminent danger.
Deputies could be heard on the bodycam video telling the other man, later identified as Lopez, multiple times to “drop the knife” before both deputies fired shots, striking and killing Lopez.
According to an arrest warrant, Contreras later told detectives in an interview that Lopez never had a knife, and he tried to communicate with deputies, but he didn’t speak or understand English, so his communication attempts were unsuccessful.
Contreras is facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder, for allegedly breaking into Lopez’s home. Deputies said his break-in led directly to Lopez’s death.
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