Elwood Edwards White, 22, of Oceanside, California, was shot and killed on May 20, 2012, during a confrontation with law enforcement on Oceanside Boulevard. According to reports, White had been acting erratically that day, throwing rocks and cinder blocks at vehicles, attacking people, wielding a sharp stick, and speaking incoherently. After entering a convenience store and then returning to the street, officers formed a semicircle and ordered him to drop the stick; witnesses say White advanced toward them with the jagged end of the stick. Deputy Michael Astorga fired a single shot that struck White in the torso and killed him at the scene.

The District Attorney’s office investigated and declined to bring criminal charges, concluding Astorga had acted out of fear that White was about to attack and possibly kill another deputy. Toxicology reportedly showed cannabinoids but no other narcotics. White’s family filed a wrongful death suit alleging excessive force, negligence, and battery and said race was a factor, an issue later excluded from trial; the jury ultimately cleared Deputy Astorga of liability. Does anyone have additional information about White’s movements that day or eyewitness accounts from Oceanside Boulevard?