Long Beach, California – A mistrial was declared by a judge after jurors reached a deadlock in the trial of Eddie Gonzalez, a former Long Beach Unified School District safety officer charged with the murder of an 18-year-old woman in a shooting incident near Millikan High School. The jury was split 7-5, with the majority leaning towards convicting Gonzalez of second-degree murder. The shooting of Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez on September 27, 2021, resulted in Gonzalez facing charges.
Upon hearing that further deliberations would not be beneficial, the judge dismissed the jury, leaving Gonzalez, 54, free on bond until his next court appearance on July 17 for a pretrial hearing. Rodriguez was shot while sitting in a vehicle near the school campus, an incident captured on video and widely publicized in local media.
The prosecution argued that Gonzalez acted irresponsibly by attempting to handle a situation that should have been left to law enforcement, resulting in the tragic death of Rodriguez. On the other hand, the defense maintained that Gonzalez acted out of fear for his safety, believing he was in danger of being run over by the vehicle in which Rodriguez was a passenger.
Witness testimonies presented conflicting perspectives, with some claiming Gonzalez was not in danger when he fired the shots and others believing he acted in self-defense. The defense asserted that Gonzalez’s actions were aimed at stopping a threat, emphasizing the split-second decisions made during the tumultuous event.
Despite the tragedy of Rodriguez’s death, Gonzalez’s lawyer urged jurors to consider the circumstances leading up to the shooting and emphasized the need to prove that the act was not one of self-defense. The extensive trial included viewing multiple videos of the incident from various angles, shedding light on the events that transpired before the fatal shots were fired.
Rodriguez’s family, who have since settled a lawsuit against the school district, continue to seek justice for her untimely passing. While the legal proceedings have provided some closure, the emotional toll of the loss is irreparable for the family, who remain steadfast in their pursuit of accountability and remembrance for Mona Rodriguez.