Long Beach school safety officer faces second-degree murder
Long Beach CA October 31 2021 Eddie F. Gonzalez, the former school safety officer for Long Beach Unified School District accused of wrongly shooting an 18-year-old woman, faces second-degree murder, a prosecutor disclosed at court on Friday, Oct. 29.
At a press conference earlier this week, District Attorney George Gascón announced that Gonzalez faced murder but it was unclear exactly what type.
At Long Beach Superior Court on Friday, Deputy District Attorney Saeed Teymouri, the prosecutor in the case, told reporters that Gonzalez faces second-degree murder.
First-degree murder is premeditated, and second-degree murder is not. In California, a first-degree murder conviction carries up to 25 years to life in prison and a second-degree conviction carries up to 15 years to life. Manslaughter is a lesser charge.
Gonzalez’s court appearance on Friday was for his arraignment, when he can declared his guilt or innocence. As is often the case, his was postponed, to Dec. 8, after lawyers agreed to do so.
Michael Schwartz, Gonzalez’s defense attorney, declined to comment.
Gonzalez, who was being held in custody on $2 million bail, spoke briefly during the proceedings, which lasted less than five minutes, from behind protective glass in the courtroom.
Gonzalez, 51, shot Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez, of Long Beach on the afternoon of Sept. 27 about a block from Millikan High School, authorities have said.
Rodriguez was in the car with her boyfriend, who is their now-six-month-old child’s father, Rafeul Chowdhury. She was in the front-passenger seat, while Chowdhury was driving and his 16-year-old brother was in the back seat.
The three had left the scene of a fight that Rodriguez was in with a 15-year-old girl when Gonzalez approached them on foot in a nearby parking lot. The car was either stopped or nearly so.
As the car lurched away, Gonzalez fired two shots, video of the incident on social media shows.
Rodriguez was unarmed, the district attorney has said. She was declared brain dead by doctors after the shooting, then died after taken off of life support on Oct. 5.
Long Beach Unified school safety officers are armed but not sworn police. Gonzalez was fired by the school district a week after the shooting. On Wednesday, he was arrested by homicide detectives.
