Notes

Officer Involved Shooting Statement: My name is Mike Hernandez with Santos Police Department. My current rank is SPO. Which stands for Senior Police Officer. On 05/24/2024, I was on a job, which involved me and couple other SPD officer & Vinewood officer. Officer Banks, callsign 005 & I was inside of the house on 849 Forum Dr because of an OIS. While we were in the house, we both heard weird noise coming outside of the house. We went outside the house where we both spotted the cougar coming from the rear side of the property and walk into the driveway. We both backed away from the cougar. Officer Banks called out that there a black cougar spotted. The cougar was slowly walking on the sidewalk heading towards Carson Av. Officer Banks went into his squad car and drove next to the cougar, blasting his manual siren to scare the cougar away. Before reaching Carson Av, the cougar made a right onto the alleyway because it was afraid of the siren. Officer Banks followed the cougar and made it all the way back to the house on the block of 849 Forum Dr. Which the cougar ran through the main door and enter the property. All officers did not follow the cougar inside the house. We were all outside waiting for the cougar to come back outside. I went on the rear side of the house property on the block 0f 849 Forum Dr. I did this to make sure the cougar didn't break through the back door and escape. I waited couple minutes before I started to walk from the rear side onto the driveway heading back to my patrol car. Then I notice the front door opening and one of the SPD Officer pointed their gun at the door. I took my service pistol out of my holster, at the same time, the cougar barge through the front door and sprinted towards the SPD Officer and attack him. I moved up quickly when I heard the first shot goes off by another officer. Which was Officer Banks. I moved up slowly while Officer Banks was shooting at the cougar. At the same time, I carefully aimed at the cougar and fired 3 shots. 2 of those shot struck the sidewalk near the cougar, while the last shot hit the cougar right in the head. One Vinewood PD officer quickly drag the down officer away from the cougar. I ran towards my patrol car to grab a medbag to assist the down officer. The down officer sustained a bite marked on his upper left shoulder which was getting treated by the Vinewood PD officer. The down SPD officer was screaming "I can't feel my legs." Which I quicky check out both of his leg. Which I found he had one through & through gunshot wound on his left leg. I quickly applied a TQ on his upper left leg and applied multiple layers of gauze on his gunshot wound. I quickly stop the bleeding and wrapped the wound up. County Medical arrived for the down officer and took him to Central LS. Officer Banks stated that he was the one who shot his service pistol and struck the down SPD officer in the left leg. I ask him if he was stable to go to make a statement at the station for the Lt, which he states yes, he was stable. I cleared him from the scene and gave him order to go and reported back to station to meet with the Lt.

Signed: Mike Hernandez