Attorneys demand investigation of shooting by federal agent

Four attorneys gathered on Aug. 22 outside the San Bernardino house of Francisco Longoria, demanding an investigation into the Aug. 16 shooting of Longoria and his two sons by masked men from the federal government. Three bullets entered Longoria's truck, but nobody was injured.

“Justice looks like accountability, and if accountability is a masked individual that’s able to draw a gun, and apprehend somebody without a warrant, are any of us safe?” asked Jason Sanchez.

“We are here to call upon state, county and city officials to investigate this shooting,” Sanchez said.

Inland Empire Law Weekly left a message with San Bernardino District Attorney Spokesperson Jacqueline Rodriguez for comment Friday afternoon, and has not heard back. The San Bernardino police office is closed Fridays. Inland Empire Law Weekly was due back in Riverside court following the presser, and was unable to reach out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment during office hours.

San Bernardino Helen Tran called for a full investigation in an Aug. 19 video statement.

"Here in San Bernardino, we stand firm. Justice must be transparent. Trust must be earned, not forced. We call for a full impartial investigation, the release of all available footage, and accountability. Procedures were violated," Tran said.

An Aug. 18 press release from the San Bernardino Police Department says that Longoria had called 911 after being fired upon. The police met with Longoria, and then left. The release said it was unclear what the federal agents wanted Longoria for, but that California law enforcement agencies are prohibited from assisting federal officials with immigration enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security claimed Longoria had attempted to run over the agents, and that the agents fired in self-defense, KVCR, LATimes and NBC4 reported.

New video released to law enforcement by the Longorias disputes that narration, the attorneys said.

“On August 16, Francisco Longoria knew this. That there were masked individuals approaching his vehicle. They stopped his vehicle, some with guns drawn, they attempted to gain access to his vehicle without identifying themselves and without presenting a warrant. They then smashed the window and attempted to gain entry to the vehicle and Mr. Longoria. Mr. Longoria, fearing for his own safety and for that of his passengers, drove off. That is when one of the masked individuals began opening fire on the passenger side of the vehicle. That is what Mr. Longoria knew. What we know is that DHS has identified the masked individuals as their agents,” Sanchez said.

The attorneys said that police and federal agents gathered outside Longoria’s house following the shooting, but that it appears no real investigation has been made.

Attorney Robbie Muniz said that open fire on civilians should be prevented.

“(This family) didn’t deserve to have this experience. This was just another day for them. They were working. They were contributing to society. In the moment that this happened, they never expected to be shot at by masked individuals,” Muniz said.

“This could have been so much worse than it was. Had those bullets hit any one of those passengers, we could be talking about a death, we could be talking about a paralysis, which is why it’s so important that we get answers, not only for the family, but the community, accountability, so that things like this don’t happen again,” Muniz said.

“Our government, and our United States, is founded on Constitutional protections. Protections that you can drive to work without being stopped with no justification, no cause, no warrant,” said attorney Cynthia Santiago. 

The Longorias were present at the presser, but did not speak. They showed their truck, which had two bullet holes in the passenger side and a broken window.

The San Bernardino Police Department's press release said that agents wanted to arrest a subject for assaulting a federal officer. A search of recent filings shows no cases have yet been filed against Longoria in state or federal court.