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El Paso County sheriff’s deputy dismissed

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLORADO SPRINGS – An El Paso County sheriff’s deputy has been fired after two internal affairs investigations in seven months, The Gazette reported in Sunday editions.The dismissal of Shawn Moncalieri on March 6 was revealed during a court hearing for Edward Johnson, a burglary suspect whom Moncalieri said he shot when the suspect tried to run him over.Sheriff’s officials denied that Moncalieri’s departure was related to the shooting but would not say why Moncalieri left or discuss the internal investigations, The Gazette reported. Sheriff’s officials generally do not release the findings of investigations into complaints of officer misconduct unless a judge orders disclosure.Moncalieri, 32, declined requests for an interview made through his lawyer, Richard Radabaugh.On Aug. 30, Moncalieri fired seven shots at a suspect fleeing in a truck with stolen items, according to court testimony. The suspect was hit twice, in the buttocks and the arm.Moncalieri testified the truck came at him at a high rate of speed after he had identified himself as a deputy and ordered the suspect to stop.District Attorney John Newsome’s investigation into the shooting determined Moncalieri was “justified in using deadly force” with his first three shots.Newsome’s office did not file criminal charges, stating prosecutors would have had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Moncalieri was not acting in self-defense.Johnson pleaded guilty to menacing with a deadly weapon, and was expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday.Johnson’s attorney, Rick Levinson, brought up Moncalieri’s dismissal in his client’s court hearing in March. “I’ve been told that Deputy Moncalieri was fired in part because of this case, and in part because of another investigation alleging he falsified probable cause affidavits or otherwise acted without total candor,” Levinson said in the hearing.Sheriff’s Office Bureau Chief Joe Breister said Levinson’s claims that the firing was related to the shooting were “100 percent inaccurate.” He declined to elaborate.Moncalieri joined the sheriff’s office in August 2001 after a stint in the Air Force and started at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center. His personnel file indicates an inmate there accused him of using excessive force, but sheriff’s officials ruled the complaint was unfounded.—Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com


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