Officer Won't Face Charges in Anaheim Shooting that Led to Riots

Shooting fleeing guy in the back twice counts as self-defense

Orange County prosecutors declined Tuesday to file charges against an Anaheim police officer who shot a 23-year-old parolee in the back, saying that the officer believed the man was going for a weapon when he reached for his waistband.

David Raya, 23, was killed by two gunshots to his "rear torso" during a foot chase by Anaheim police Aug. 16, 2011. Prosecutors theorized that the man may have been trying to discard a drug pipe as officers chased him.

Prosecutors determined that Anaheim police investigator Bruce Linn was not criminally culpable for Raya's death when he shot him with a rifle and that the officer had acted in self-defense