At a news conference at the Redding Police Department, Police Chief Peter Hansen and Shasta County District Attorney Gerald Benito said they had concluded that several officers who fired their weapons at 20-year-old Brandon Michael Reuter had acted within the law as well as Police Department guidelines.
Authorities reported that Reuter received 14 bullet wounds — one in the head, the others in the hip and leg. He died at the scene.
Because of the intense interest in the case, the District Attorney's Office on Wednesday released a detailed account of the shooting, revealing that Reuter had pointed the Elite II BB gun at a police dog as if he were going to "execute" the German shepherd. The district attorney also reported that Reuter had made eye contact with Officer Mike Dimatteo as he raised his arm with the gun to shoulder height — triggering the fusillade of bullets from Dimatteo and other officers.
Benito said that of the seven officers chasing Reuter, six fired their weapons. One of the officers' guns jammed, however.
"The officers' actions were justified and were based on their perceptions that their lives and the lives of fellow officers were in immediate danger of serious injury or death," Police Chief Hansen said.
Benito said no criminal charges will be filed against any of the officers, saying they behaved "bravely, professionally and rationally."
The police dog was not hurt in the shooting.
Benito said that Reuter's death was the result of his actions and no one else's.
The stunning downfall of a young man who graduated less than three years earlier near the top of his high school class was a shock for many in the town of Los Gatos, which has seen a string of tragedies involving young people in the past 13 months.
Reuter's family in Los Gatos did not respond to a request to comment on the results of the investigation. But friends of Reuter said the results were not surprising.
"I question why so many bullets were fired, but if someone goes into a bank with a weapon that looks like a handgun, you know you're asking for it," said Andrew Puckett, 21, a friend in middle school and high school. "But this is such a horrible tragedy, such a waste of life. It just breaks my heart."
Reuter's friends are still mystified by the turn of events. When he graduated from Los Gatos High in 2007, he received an award for academic excellence.
But police reports and court records tell the tale of a life that gradually descended into mental illness since he entered the University of Colorado at Boulder.
On Nov. 11, his mother, Marie Reuter, had called Los Gatos police, saying that her son was depressed, behaving erratically and had suicidal thoughts, Benito said Wednesday. She also reported that he had recently dropped out of college and sold his car.
Brandon's close friends described him as kindhearted and fun-loving, saying that he smoked marijuana and drank alcohol but was never into hard drugs.
Reuter had been spotted by friends in Los Gatos at the end of November just days before he boarded a Greyhound bus to Redding. He ended up spending the last days of his life in the Stardust Motel, where police say he left behind stickup notes for a series of planned heists.
Authorities on Wednesday released photos of Reuter wearing aviator-style sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt when he entered the Plumas Bank on Dec. 7, pointed a gun at a teller, saying "Give me your money. This is a robbery." The tellers handed over $3,065 after Reuter said he would start shooting if he didn't get the money, police said.
With officers in pursuit, Reuter's life ended near a dry canal with the loot in his boot. His BB gun was not loaded.
Ryan Sabalow and Dylan Darling of the Redding Record Searchlight contributed to this report.
Contact Ken McLaughlin at 408-920-5552.
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