The Lompoc Police Department released a response Tuesday to a report calling for state prosecutors to investigate a recent officer-involved shooting.
In a story in the Santa Maria Times, the attorney for the family of Krys Ruiz, who was shot and killed by police last month, called for the California Attorney General to investigate the shooting.
However, Lompoc police say the case would only qualify for a state investigation if Ruiz had been unarmed. A new law that went into effect this year calls for a state prosecutor to investigate all officer-involved shootings involving unarmed civilians.
Police say the 26-year-old was armed with a knife and charged at officers.
The shooting happened at around 8 p.m. on March 28, in the alley between the 100 blocks of North H & G streets.
According to initial reports, officers were called to the area for reports of a person walking around with a gun.
Police never said whether a gun was found, but they now say a knife was recovered at the scene.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating the officer-involved shooting and will turn over its completed investigation to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office for review.
