Noe Martinez Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Santa Ana resident, was shot and killed by two Santa Ana police officers on the evening of December 1, 2024, after 911 callers reported a man with a shotgun near 1st Street and Broadway. The weapon turned out to be a non-functional toy replica. More than a year later, the officers who fired roughly 30 rounds remain employed by the department, a California Department of Justice investigation is still open, and Rodriguez’s family is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the officers.1Orange County Register. A Year Later, a Police Shooting Still Raises Questions in Santa Ana
What Happened on December 1, 2024
Around 5:00 p.m., the Santa Ana Police Department received calls describing a bearded man in a blue jumpsuit carrying what looked like a black shotgun near 1st Street and Spurgeon Street. A follow-up caller said the man appeared to be loading the weapon.1Orange County Register. A Year Later, a Police Shooting Still Raises Questions in Santa Ana Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra responded and found Rodriguez standing against a wall near a furniture store.2California Office of the Attorney General. Officer-Involved Shooting Current Cases
The department says the officers warned Rodriguez three times in English to drop the weapon before opening fire. Body camera footage later obtained by the advocacy group Community Service Organization Orange County shows Rodriguez appearing nearly motionless and not pointing the replica at the officers when the shooting began. One officer fired 18 rounds in quick succession; his partner joined moments later. About 30 shots were fired in total. Rodriguez was then handcuffed. According to a critical incident briefing the department released in January 2025, officers also fired a 40mm less-lethal launcher at him while he was unresponsive, and one officer directed a colleague to begin CPR.1Orange County Register. A Year Later, a Police Shooting Still Raises Questions in Santa Ana
The object was confirmed after the shooting to be a toy replica of a short-barrel pump-action shotgun. The department has said officers could not have known it was fake during the encounter.
Who Noe Rodriguez Was
Rodriguez was a former field worker who lived with his mother, Maria Martinez Garcia, at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife, Erika Armenta, and their two daughters, ages seven and nine.1Orange County Register. A Year Later, a Police Shooting Still Raises Questions in Santa Ana
Armenta says Rodriguez had shown signs of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, for five or six years before his death. His symptoms had become severe enough that she had asked him to move out of the family home and into his mother’s residence. Both his mother and his wife say he was experiencing a mental health crisis on the day of the shooting.3Cal OC News. Family of Noe Rodriguez Signals Two Lawsuits Against City of Santa Ana for Police Assassination
The Language Question
A central dispute in the case is whether Rodriguez could understand what officers were telling him. His family says he spoke only Spanish and could not follow the officers’ English commands. “He didn’t understand the instructions in English,” Armenta said publicly.4Cal OC News. Santa Ana Community Urges Justice for Noe Rodriguez and ICE Police Transparency
The Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Armenta learned of her husband’s death the day after the shooting, when Santa Ana detectives came to her home, questioned her about his behavior, and asked her to identify him from a photograph. She says the detectives declined to explain why the encounter had been described as a “shootout” when Rodriguez was holding a toy.1Orange County Register. A Year Later, a Police Shooting Still Raises Questions in Santa Ana
On April 10, 2025, Armenta and her daughters filed a government claim with the City of Santa Ana, a precursor to civil rights and negligence claims against the city and the two officers.3Cal OC News. Family of Noe Rodriguez Signals Two Lawsuits Against City of Santa Ana for Police Assassination In September 2025, the family filed a wrongful death suit naming the City of Santa Ana, the Santa Ana Police Department, and Officers Casillas and Ibarra. The complaint calls the shooting “execution-style,” alleges that officers fired about 30 rounds from 50 to 60 feet away, states that Rodriguez was not threatening police or the public, and says officers failed to provide or promptly summon medical care.1Orange County Register. A Year Later, a Police Shooting Still Raises Questions in Santa Ana The family is represented by attorney Angel Carrazco of the Carrazco Law firm in Irvine.
At a press conference, Armenta rejected the idea that the shooting was accidental. “It was not an accident; shooting 32 times is not an accident. To me, that’s an assassination,” she said. She has also called for the officers to be jailed: “Justice is putting them in jail and that they don’t hurt the community anymore.”3Cal OC News. Family of Noe Rodriguez Signals Two Lawsuits Against City of Santa Ana for Police Assassination
The State Investigation
The California Department of Justice opened an investigation under Assembly Bill 1506, which requires independent state review of officer-involved shootings that kill an unarmed civilian.5California Office of the Attorney General. California Department of Justice Investigating Santa Ana Police Department Officer-Involved Shooting The DOJ’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team is handling the inquiry. Once complete, the findings go to the Special Prosecutions Section within the agency’s Criminal Law Division for review.
As of mid-2026, the case — DOJ Case Number BI-LA2024-00097 — is still listed as “Under Investigation.” No charging decision has been announced, and the agency has not provided a timeline.2California Office of the Attorney General. Officer-Involved Shooting Current Cases
What Has and Hasn’t Been Released
The Santa Ana Police Department has said it “ensures that officer-involved shootings and deaths are investigated in a thorough, fair and impartial manner,” but officials have declined to discuss specifics, citing both the DOJ investigation and the pending civil lawsuit. On the one-year anniversary of the shooting, Police Chief Robert Rodriguez said the department “must be extremely careful not to provide any information that could be interpreted as connected to that incident or that could compromise the integrity of the process.” The Santa Ana Police Officers Association has said the two officers “acted properly and within policy.”1Orange County Register. A Year Later, a Police Shooting Still Raises Questions in Santa Ana
The department has not publicly released the full body camera footage, the coroner’s report, or other supplemental evidence. The names of the officers were not initially disclosed to the family or the public; they were eventually obtained through a California Public Records Act request filed by David Pulido of the Community Service Organization Orange County.4Cal OC News. Santa Ana Community Urges Justice for Noe Rodriguez and ICE Police Transparency
Protests and Additional Allegations Against the Officers
Rodriguez’s death has drawn sustained protest in Santa Ana. On March 18, 2025, more than 45 people marched from El Centro Cultural de Mexico to the police department, calling for release of the officers’ names and reports and for a “24/48” disclosure policy after officer-involved shootings.6Fight Back! News. Santa Ana Protests Police Killing of Noe Rodriguez Community members began appearing regularly at Santa Ana City Council and Police Oversight Commission meetings in June 2025 to press for the firing of Casillas and Ibarra and for updated body camera release policies. The police officers’ association responded by calling the lead organizing group “pro-criminal” and “anti-public safety” in correspondence to the council.7Fight Back! News. Santa Ana Community Continues Demands for Justice Despite Attacks From Police
At a February 26, 2026 rally on Civic Center Drive, demonstrators tied Officer Ibarra to three additional incidents: the fatal shooting of Henry Gonzalez Jr. on January 1, 2025; an in-custody death of Freddy DeAngelo Washington on January 16, 2025; and a videotaped beating of 15-year-old Mario Diaz on June 9, 2025 that left the teenager hospitalized after he had surrendered. Those allegations have not been independently confirmed through official investigation findings made public as of mid-2026.8Fight Back! News. Santa Ana Demands Jailing Killer Cops Still Employed by SAPD
Where the Case Stands
As of mid-2026, the California Department of Justice investigation remains open, with no completed report or charging decision.2California Office of the Attorney General. Officer-Involved Shooting Current Cases The family’s wrongful death lawsuit is proceeding. Officers Casillas and Ibarra are still employed by the Santa Ana Police Department. Full body camera footage and the coroner’s report have not been publicly released, and no officer has been disciplined in connection with Rodriguez’s death.