Death of Meagan Hockaday
DateMarch 28, 2015 (2015-03-28)
Time1:00 a.m.
LocationWest Vineyard Avenue, Oxnard, California, U.S.
ParticipantsMeagan Hockaday
Roger Garcia (Oxnard Police Department officer)
OutcomeUnder investigation[1]
Deaths1

Meagan Hockaday was a 26-year-old African American resident of Oxnard, California who was shot and killed by police officer Roger Garcia in the early hours of Saturday, March 28, 2015.[1]

Garcia responded to a 911 call made by Hockaday's fiancé, Luis Morado, reporting a domestic dispute at The Timbers, an apartment complex in Oxnard.[2] Within twenty seconds of officers arriving at the family's apartment, Hockaday, who was wielding a knife and apparently advanced at the officers, was fatally shot by Garcia. The couple's three children were in the apartment at the time. They were subsequently evaluated by Child Protective Services and released to family.[3][4]

Aftermath

Investigation

While the case remains under investigation, Roger Garcia has been placed on administrative leave. As is standard with officer-involved shootings, the Oxnard Police Department will complete an investigation that will then be submitted to Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Following this, the District Attorney's Office will conduct its own investigation.[1][5] A second officer who responded to the call with Garcia remains on duty.[5] Garcia's name was released the Tuesday following the shooting, along with the 911 call made by Morado.[6] Roger Garcia was involved in another, non-fatal, shooting of an Oxnard resident in February 2014.[6][7] He had reportedly completed Crisis Intervention Team training after the February shooting.[8][9] It was reported that August 18th The D.A.'s office found the shooting justified as Hockaday was charging at both the officer and her husband Luis Morado.

News coverage

The case was covered by local newspapers, and national magazines and entertainment outlets that are directed toward African American markets, such as Ebony[10] and BET.[11] The #SayHerName protest,[12] created to raise awareness about police shootings of African American women and girls, renewed interest in Hockaday's case. Her death was mentioned in The Nation,[13] Boing Boing,[14] and The Independent.[15]

Protests

On April 11, 2015, a peaceful march in honor of Meagan Hockaday took place primarily on Oxnard Boulevard.[16] The march was broken up by police for disrupting traffic at the intersection of Oxnard Boulevard and Vineyard Avenue.[17] A vigil was also held to commemorate Hockaday on the one-month anniversary of her death on April 28, 2015. It coincided with an Oxnard City Council meeting where supporters of Hockaday spoke out against police brutality in Oxnard. Speakers included Meagan Hockaday's sister.[18] A benefit concert for Hockaday's family was held in Oxnard on May 9, 2015.[19] Meagan Hockaday's name has also been included in lists of black women killed by police, read out during protests connected to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2015.[14][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Oxnard police identify officer involved in fatal shooting of woman". Ventura County Star. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  2. ^ Von Quednow, Cindy (29 March 2015). "All quiet at Oxnard apartment complex a day after a fatal officer-involved shooting". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Woman Killed in Oxnard Officer-Involved Shooting Identified". KEYT. 30 March 2015. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Knife-Wielding Woman Fatally Shot By Officers In Oxnard". CBS Los Angeles. March 28, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Von Quednow, Cindy (March 30, 2015). "Oxnard police give new details on fatal officer-involved shooting". Ventura County Star.
  6. ^ a b Von Quednow, Cindy (March 31, 2015). "Oxnard police release 911 audio, name of officer who shot woman". Ventura County Star.
  7. ^ "Oxnard police identify 3 officers involved in park shooting". Ventura County Star. February 24, 2014.
  8. ^ "Police: Choose the path of least harm". VC Reporter. April 23, 2015. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  9. ^ Leung, Wendy (March 28, 2015). "Oxnard woman killed by police after domestic dispute call". Ventura County Star.
  10. ^ a b D. Smith (March 30, 2015). "[OFFICER INVOLVED] Meagan Hockaday: Dead in 20 Seconds". Ebony.
  11. ^ Whaley, Natelege (April 1, 2015). "Meagan Hockaday Shot and Killed by Police". BET.
  12. ^ Regan, Helen (May 22, 2015). "Topless Women Stage #SayHerName Rally Against Perceived Police Brutality". Time.
  13. ^ McClain, Dani (May 21, 2015). "#SayHerName Shows Black Women Face Police Violence, Too—and Pregnancy and Motherhood Are No Refuge". The Nation.
  14. ^ a b Siede, Caroline (May 22, 2015). "#SayHerName movement brings attention to female victims of police brutality". Boing Boing.
  15. ^ Carissimo, Justin (May 21, 2015). "#SayHerName: Rallies across the country demand justice in police killings of black women". The Independent.
  16. ^ Martinez, Arlene (April 11, 2015). "March mourns woman shot by officer". Ventura County Star.
  17. ^ "Oxnard Police break up march for woman killed by officer". ABC7 Eyewitness News. April 11, 2015.
  18. ^ "April 28, 2015 Meagan Hockaday Vigil Photos & Oxnard City Council Video". Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo. May 6, 2015.
  19. ^ "Artists For Justice In Oxnard! Benefit concert for the family of Meagan Hockaday, Killed 3/28/15 By OPD". Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo. May 7, 2015.

External links

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