patrick.net

The illegal immigrant killed Sunday in a shootout with a California cop had been deported three times and arrested and released over ICE's objection on several occasions -- including cases involving the very department whose officer took him down in a dramatic exchange caught on her body cam.

In a graphic, 48-second clip released Wednesday, body camera footage from Sunday's traffic stop shows Javier Hernandez Morales rolling down his window, grabbing a handgun and opening fire. Napa County sheriff’s Deputy Riley Jarecki narrowly avoided getting struck before running to the other side of the car, firing at least 15 shots into the red Honda.

Hernandez Morales, 48, died at the scene and the deputy was not seriously injured, officials said. ...

Immigration officials said Thursday that the shooting and the man’s death could have been prevented, but California’s state law prohibited them from arresting the Mexican citizen with a long rap sheet and multiple deportations.