By Molly Myers
Chico Enterprise-Record, Calif.
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CHICO, Calif. — The Chico Police Department released a video of a fatal officer-involved shooting that happened just after midnight March 2.
The video shows an exchange of gunfire between four Chico police SWAT officers and Michael Oxley, 43, of Chico, on top of the parking structure of the Post on Nord apartment complex. The officers fired 27 shots after Oxley fired one, said Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey in an email to this newspaper.
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“All four (4) shooters were Chico P.D. officers,” Ramsey said. “Oxley had approximately two dozen gunshot wounds. However, some of those wounds are what I would call ‘doubles’ (e.g. a shot through the arm that goes into the body equals two wounds). Also, some look to be shrapnel wounds — i.e., a bullet hitting the concrete floor or wall and shattering into multiple shards of metal, causing multiple wounds.”
Chico police released the footage of the shooting on its Facebook page stating it was requested in a public records request. Chico police public information officer Kayla Gates said ChicoSol journalist Dave Waddell requested the footage.
“The Officer-Involved shooting is currently an open investigation with the Butte County Officer-Involved Shooting/Critical Incident Protocol Team and will ultimately be reviewed by the Butte County District Attorney’s Office,” stated Chico police in the Facebook post the video is posted in.
The investigation is nearing nine months and investigations are taking a long time, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said, “because we are just backed up on investigations here.”
At the time of the shooting, Oxley was under investigation on suspicion of attempted homicide of George Ramirez III, 43, on Feb. 28, according to a March press release from the District Attorney’s Office. Chico police had a warrant for Oxley’s arrest and were attempting to place him in custody March 1, stated the release.
The DA’s Office described the alleged attempted homicide in the release: “Ramirez, a well-known barber in downtown Chico, had just gotten in his vehicle in the parking lot when a subject approached from behind the car and shot a handgun several times through the closed driver’s side window into Ramirez. Ramirez suffered shots to his head, neck, and shoulder and was life-flighted out of the area for extensive surgery and care.”
Chico police stated in the released video footage that Ramirez survived the initial attack. The released footage comes with graphic images and language warnings. The video first shows the location Ramirez was shot in the parking lot at Second and Wall streets where the Chico Certified Farmers Market takes place on Saturdays.
The video then includes multiple slides of written information stating how law enforcement officials say they located Oxley at Post on Nord the following day. Officers confronted Oxley as he was exiting a building at the complex and ordered him on the ground, but he retreated inside to his apartment, according to text shown in the video.
The video cuts to drone footage of Oxley exiting his apartment holding what text in the video describes as “an extended magazine handgun and (a) can of bear spray.” Oxley looks at the drone and appears to be saying something as he begins to walk slowly away from it, looking over his shoulder multiple times.
The drone video portion has no audio, something Ramsey said is standard for drone footage.
Then flash-bang distraction devices are deployed, and Oxley begins to run with the drone following after him as he enters the stairwell of the complex. The video cuts to a slide introducing the next portion stating, “The following video shows officers entering the hallway, where they were confronted by Oxley, who was armed with a handgun and bear spray.”
In this video, showing the officer’s point of view, there is audio, with multiple officers shouting “He’s got a gun in his hand.” One officer who is standing in the door frame shouts “Do not walk away from us. Drop the gun.”
Multiple officers then call for a distraction device to be deployed. After two are deployed, the officers run into the hallway chasing Oxley. The video cuts to outside body camera footage of an officer on the street looking into the outside parking garage. The officer shouts that he sees Oxley and yells at him to get on the ground.
The video then cuts to officers confronting Oxley in the parking garage. Oxley is just at the top of the last ramp on the final floor, and Chico police officers are positioned just at the bottom of the same ramp behind a wall. Officers repeatedly call for Oxley to drop the weapon and show his hands.
Oxley is sitting at the top of the ramp with his back against the perimeter wall of the parking garage. An officer attempts to negotiate with Oxley, who responds but for the most part is unintelligible in the video.
The video cuts to a slide stating “During the lengthy negotiation, Oxley expressed a desire to harm himself by provoking officers to shoot him.”
After roughly two hours of negotiations, the negotiating officer informs Oxley flood lights will be put up to illuminate the space. Oxley begins to move and the officer repeatedly tells him to sit down.
“We do not want to shoot you, and you don’t want to get shot,” the negotiating officer said. “It’s going to (expletive) hurt. And if you put the gun down and listen to us, you’re not going to get shot and it’s not going to hurt.”
Oxley replied, “Well if it goes through your brain you’re not going to feel anything.”
The negotiating officer replied, “Well, you might still feel it and it might not go there.”
Oxley stands as the negotiating officer repeatedly tells him to sit. A separate officer shoots Oxley with beanbags. Oxley then fires his gun once at the officers. Four officers then fire 27 rounds at Oxley before the negotiating officer yells “Hold your fire.”
Six involved officers were placed on leave per standard protocol after the shooting, said the District Attorney’s Office in the March press release. Gates confirmed all officers have returned to work.
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