The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office has determined that the October 2025 shooting death of a man inside a Goleta grocery store by sheriff’s deputies was a justifiable homicide.
District Attorney officials announced on Friday, June 12, that the shooting of 34-year-old Abdourahman Nyan of Connecticut was justified under California Penal Code section 196(b), concluding an eight-month review of the incident.
“When Nyan ignored commands to drop two knives, held one knife in each hand and used a metal trashcan as a shield while rushing at deputies, his actions created a reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury in the minds of Deputy Muneton and Sergeant Delgadillo,” the District Attorney’s report stated.
The Incident
The fatal confrontation occurred on the afternoon of October 20, 2025, at the Magnolia Shopping Center in the 5100 block of Hollister Avenue, in the unincorporated area commonly referred to as “Noleta.”…