Police investigation finds nothing amiss

The Santa Rosa Police Department exonerated the actions of four Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies in the shooting death of 37-year-old Sonoma resident Craig Von Dohlen on Saturday, Dec. 6, at his parents’ Napa Road residence.
In the three-page report issued Thursday of its investigation, required whenever there is a “deputy-involved shooting,” the Santa Rosa police excerpted the transcript of the 911 call that initiated the sheriff’s involvement and summarized the subsequent events. Little new information is included beyond that already reported [Sonoma Valley Sun, Dec. 9].
In each instance, the report supports the actions of the deputies, including the firing of shots after Von Dohlen was down – he “continued to attempt to reach for the rifle” he’d dropped – and detaining the father in a patrol car – he “refused to comply with the deputies’ repeated requests to remain in one area outside the scene” so the deputies could “provide emergency medical aid and secure the weapon.”
According to the report, the rifle Von Dohlen had aimed “directly at” the officers when he “charged toward” them was .22 caliber and was loaded. While Von Dohlen had a prior arrest in Sonoma County, he was not currently on parole or probation, and there was no outstanding warrant for his arrest, so the source of his apparent agitation is unclear, when he said of law enforcement, “I will shoot them right now. I’m not going back to prison. They will have to shoot me.”
The four deputies involved are Elena Transue, with three years experience, Fletcher Skerritt, five years, Ron Hansen, 23 years, and Kevin Mullnix, 27 years. None are reported to be Sonoma Valley residents.
According to the Santa Rosa report, the toxicology results on Von Dohlen at the time of the shooting will not be available for several weeks.