California DOJ Investigates Fatal Simi Valley Police Shooting
The California Department of Justice has opened an independent investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting in Simi Valley, placing the case under a statewide process required by Assembly Bill 1506.
The shooting occurred at approximately 1:45 p.m. on July 21, 2026, and involved the Simi Valley Police Department, according to the DOJ. One person died. The department announced the investigation on July 22.
The case is being handled by the DOJ California Police Shooting Investigation Team. After investigators complete their work, the matter will be referred to the DOJ Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for an independent review.
What happened before the shooting
The Los Angeles Times reported that Simi Valley police initially responded at about 8:15 a.m. to a domestic-violence call in the 2500 block of Dusan Street. The newspaper, citing an initial Simi Valley Police Department news release, described a pursuit, a crash and the fatal shooting that followed.
Those details describe the reported sequence leading up to the shooting, but the investigation is still underway. The DOJ’s notice says the preliminary details may change as investigators continue examining the incident.
The official notice does not identify the person who died or provide a final account of the precise sequence of events. It also does not make a determination about whether the shooting was justified or unjustified.
What the state investigation means
Assembly Bill 1506 provides the legal framework for the DOJ’s involvement in certain officer-involved shootings. In this case, the state investigation gives the matter an investigative path outside the Simi Valley Police Department, the agency involved in the shooting.
The investigation and later review are separate stages. The Police Shooting Investigation Team is responsible for the initial state investigation. Once that work is finished, the Special Prosecutions Section will independently review the completed investigation within the DOJ’s Criminal Law Division.
The opening of the investigation is not a final finding about the conduct of any officer or about the circumstances of the death. The case remains pending while investigators gather and assess information.
What happens next
The DOJ has not announced a completion date for the investigation or the subsequent review. Conclusions about the incident will come only after the investigative work and the Special Prosecutions Section’s review are completed.
Witnesses and others with relevant information were directed to contact the California Department of Justice at 916-210-2871. That line gives people who may have information a way to reach the state team handling the case.
For Simi Valley, the immediate development is the state’s assumption of the investigation after a fatal police shooting, rather than a final decision about what occurred. The July 21 incident, the ongoing investigation and the planned independent review are the next steps in a process that has not yet reached a conclusion.
Sources
- California Department of Justice Investigating Simi Valley Police Department Officer-Involved Shooting Under AB 1506, California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General
- Pursuit ends in dramatic crash, deadly police shooting in Simi Valley, Los Angeles Times
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