A California police officer killed a woman during a scuffle — and now, another man who was present has been arrested in connection with her murder.
An unnamed Riverside County Sheriff’s Office deputy on patrol tried to talk to multiple people in Corona on Tuesday, according to a department statement. The subjects ran and the deputy gave chase. It’s unclear why the deputy tried to speak to the suspects.
The deputy ran after them and when he turned the corner of a woman, the man lunged at him and a fight began.
During the scuffed, the woman started to assault the deputy and he shot her. She was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. Her name has not been released.
The deputy continued to fight with the man, identified as San Diego resident Eric Nourani, before “Good Samaritans” arrived to help detain him. Police say Nourani was trying to take the deputy’s gun.
Now, Nourani has been arrested for murder, attempted murder of a peace officer, mayhem, and resisting an officer with violence, according to the department’s press release.
However, the 33-year-old has not been formally charged by prosecutors, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Police were able to arrest Nourani for the woman’s murder because of California’s accomplice liability for felony murder law, the Times reports. The law enables authorities to charge suspects if they’re believed to be “a major participant in the underlying felony and acted with reckless indifference to human life.”
While Nourani is behind bars, the deputy is under paid administrative leave, the sheriff’s office stated. The state’s Department of Justice is leading the ongoing investigation into the incident.
The Independent has contacted officials for comment.
