District attorney backs officer’s shooting of escapee

Scott Sonner

Thursday, April 27, 2000 | 10:08 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - A Reno police officer was justified and should be commended for the actions he took in the fatal shooting of a California prison escapee in downtown Reno, the district attorney said.

The armed escapee, Daniel Lopez, was about to run head-on into two officers pursuing him around the corner of an apartment building when a third officer shot him in the chest on Jan. 17, Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick said Wednesday.

"It can easily be inferred that had the armed Lopez rounded the corner of the building and confronted the unsuspecting police officers, one or more of them could have been injured," Gammick said.

"It is my conclusion that the shooting death ... was justified," he said in a formal finding.

Lopez, 21, Escondido, Calif., shot himself in the head after he was struck by the bullet fired by Lt. Ron Donnelly.

Police originally said they thought the initial shot would not have proved fatal and that Lopez died as a result of suicide. But an autopsy later showed the original bullet passed through both lungs and heart and likely would have killed him.

Gammick repeated that finding Wednesday in his formal report to Deputy Reno Police Chief James Weston.

Police officers started pursuing Lopez near the Reno police headquarters after identifying the car he was in as stolen. Lopez wrecked the car during the chase and ran through the Truckee River bed to elude the officers before they tracked him to an apartment building on the east edge of downtown.

Officers assisting in the chase were headed to a corner of the building, not aware that Lopez was proceeding to the same corner from the other direction, Gammick said.

"Lt. Donnelly, seeing the pending confrontation and the gun in Lopez' hand, shot Lopez, striking him with what should have been an incapacitating round," he said.

"However ... Lopez was able to shoot himself in the head, thereby dying from a combination of both wounds while either one of them would have been fatal," Gammick said.

Lopez had been staying off and on with his parents in Sparks since he escaped from a prison work camp in Stanislaus County, Calif., police said.

"Not only was the shooting of Lopez by Lt. Ron Donnelly justified, but Lt. Donnelly should also be commended for his actions that ended a very dangerous scenario," Gammick said.