The Long Beach school police officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old mother when she was a passenger in fleeing car in 2021 has been sentenced to three years in state prison, officials announced Tuesday.
Eddie F. Gonzalez, 54, pleaded no contest to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in August. The school officer had faced a murder charge, though a jury was unable to reach a verdict earlier this year.
The deadly shooting unfolded on Sept. 27, 2021, after Gonzalez, who was patrolling Millikan High School, noticed an altercation between Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez and another teenage girl that he reportedly broke up.
Mona Rodriguez in a photo provided by her family.
Rodriguez then got into a vehicle with Rafeul Chowdhury, the father of her son, and his brother, Shahriear Chowdhury, and as the vehicle was driving away, Gonzalez shot twice.
Rodriguez, whose son was 5 months old at the time, was hit in the back of the head, hospitalized and taken off life support eight days later.
“Our hearts go out to Ms. Rodriguez’s loved ones. No words can truly capture the pain of their loss, but we stand in solidarity with them as they navigate this difficult journey,” District Attorney Gascón said in a news release. “The sentencing of Mr. Eddie Gonzalez, a school safety officer, serves as a reminder that those entrusted with the responsibility of protecting our schools and communities must be held to the highest standards.”
The school district agreed to pay Rodriguez’s family $13 million in a settlement.
The Long Beach school police officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old mother when she was a passenger in fleeing car in 2021 has been sentenced to three years in state prison, officials announced Tuesday. Eddie F. Gonzalez, 54, pleaded no contest to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in August. The school officer had […]
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