San Diego, California: A federal jury has convicted former San Diego Deputy Aaron Richard Russell in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man who was running away from officers outside the San Diego Central Jail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Prosecutors said the jury found Russell guilty on two federal counts. Deprivation of rights under color of law and use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the verdict followed a two-week trial and less than seven hours of jury deliberations.
According to evidence described by federal prosecutors, the shooting happened on May 1, 2020, near the intersection of Front and B streets in downtown San Diego as officers were transporting a detainee to the San Diego Central Jail during the COVID-19 period. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said California State Parks officers had taken the man into custody earlier that afternoon at Old Town State Historic Park, after a parks officer approached him because the park was closed under COVID-related regulations. Prosecutors said the man ran, was later caught, searched, handcuffed, and placed in the rear seat of a law enforcement vehicle for transport.
The transport to the jail was uneventful until they arrived at the facility, prosecutors said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated the detainee slipped one hand free from his handcuffs, maneuvered his arm through a partially lowered rear passenger window that had been lowered for ventilation under a COVID protocol, and opened the rear passenger door from the outside. Prosecutors said he exited and then ran northbound on Front Street, with a parks officer chasing only a few feet behind.
Federal prosecutors said Russell and another deputy were at the intersection when the detainee began running. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Russell stepped into the street, drew his firearm, and fired five shots in rapid succession at close range. Prosecutors said four rounds struck the fleeing man, including a fatal shot that entered his back and pierced his lung and heart. The man died after being transported to a hospital, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the shooting was captured by multiple surveillance cameras along Front Street and by body-worn camera footage from officers who arrived shortly afterward. Prosecutors said multiple officers testified it was apparent the fleeing detainee was not a threat, that they never considered shooting him, and that none of the other officers on scene drew their firearms.
Prosecutors also said a fifth round fired by Russell struck the fog lamp area of a civilian vehicle traveling southbound on Front Street.
Russell is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2026, in U.S. District Court, and he was allowed to remain free on bond pending sentencing. Federal prosecutors said he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison under the counts of conviction.
