LOS ANGELES — Savannah Graziano, the 15-year-old girl killed in a shootout between her father and law enforcement Tuesday in Hesperia, was likely unarmed as she ran toward deputies, according to a preliminary investigation that has been turned over to the California attorney general’s office.
The initial findings have prompted the California Department of Justice to take over the investigation, which was being handled by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the state attorney general’s office told the Los Angeles Times in an email Thursday.
The Sheriff’s Department said it notified the Justice Department that the shooting could qualify under AB 1506 because of the girl’s death. Under that law, the Justice Department is required to investigate cases in which “the death to the unarmed civilian is caused by a California peace officer,” according to a bulletin sent last year by state Attorney General Rob Bonta to police chiefs, sheriffs, state law enforcement agencies and district attorneys.
