Prosecutor: Deputy behaved like cowboy, had ‘no right’ to take suspect’s life

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-Riverside County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a wanted man in what he contended was self-defense behaved like a “cowboy,” unjustifiably creating a lethal situation, a prosecutor said today, while the defendant’s attorney argued the shooting was unavoidable under the circumstances.

Oscar Rodriguez, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2014 slaying of 39-year-old Luis Carlos Morin of Coachella.

“Mr. Rodriguez is a liar and a deceitful person,” Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Garcia told jurors in her closing statement at the Larson Justice Center Tuesday. “He employed cowboy tactics.”…

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