Former Long Beach school security officer pleads not guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2021 shooting

LONG BEACH, California — A former school security officer has pleaded not guilty to voluntary manslaughter nearly three years after he fatally shot an 18-year-old woman as she tried to flee an altercation.

On September 27, 2021, Eddie Gonzalez, employed by the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), was driving a school safety vehicle about a block from Millikan High School when he came across an altercation between Mona Rodriguez and a 15-year-old girl. After the fight ended, Rodriguez jumped into the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by her boyfriend. As the vehicle sped away, Gonzalez fired two shots, hitting Rodriguez. Rodriguez was left brain dead and was taken off life support on October 6.

The Long Beach School Board quickly fired Gonzalez for violating its use-of-force policy, which states that officers should not shoot at a fleeing person, at a moving vehicle or through a vehicle window unless “the circumstances clearly justify the use of a firearm as a last line of defense.” Gonzalez’s attorneys argued that he feared for his life and acted in self-defense. Rodriguez was unarmed.

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Gonzalez was initially charged with murder in October 2021 and pleaded not guilty in December 2021. The case ended in a mistrial in April after seven jurors wanted to convict Gonzalez of murder while five wanted to convict him of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, NBC News reports.

Gonzalez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter as part of a plea deal, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

“We must hold accountable the people we have placed in positions of trust to protect us,” said District Attorney George Gascon. “This is especially true for the armed personnel we have traditionally relied on to protect our children on their way to and from school.”

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Long Beach Unified School District Reaches Settlement With Victim’s Family

In April 2023, LBUSD reached a $13 million settlement agreement with Rodriguez’s family, Campus Safety previously reported.

Rodriguez’s mother, Manuela Sahagun, sued Gonzalez and the LBUSD in December 2021, alleging wrongful death, excessive force, negligence and civil rights violations.

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In a statement, LBUSD said it negotiated the terms of the settlement with Rodriguez’s family, but that the agreement does not constitute an “admission of liability.”

“The school district and its insurance companies have negotiated a settlement, but because we have not seen or ratified an agreement, we cannot discuss the details. Agreements like this include a clause stating that there is no admission of liability on the part of the district,” the statement said. “However, we again extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this terrible event.”

Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8. He faces three to six years in prison.