Fatal Napa Officer-Involved Shooting: DA Completes Review

NAPA, CA — There were no criminal actions taken by Napa police in an October 2021 fatal officer-involved shooting, according to Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley.

The Napa County District Attorney’s Office completed a full review of the shooting that took place on Oct. 6, 2021, on Pear Tree Lane in Napa. The sole purpose of the examination was to determine if there was any criminal liability on behalf of any member of law enforcement and none was found, Haley said Friday in a news release.

On Oct. 6, 2021, the Napa Central Dispatch Center received a report of a family dispute outside of a home in the 1600 block of Pear Tree Lane. The reporting party told dispatchers that a neighbor’s son, later identified as 26-year-old Jeremy Vellenoweth, had a rifle pointed at his father in front of their home. During the initial response, Napa police Officer Deguilio saw Vellenoweth in possession of a shotgun.

"Vellenoweth was pointing the weapon at his father, and later at the officers, in an imminently threatening manner," the Napa Police Department said in a news release. "In an effort to protect those being threatened by Vellenoweth, Officer Deguilio fired his service weapon, striking Vellenoweth, causing him to drop the shotgun. Vellenoweth was provided emergency medical treatment and transported to a nearby hospital where he later died of his injuries."

Napa PD released a video summary of the incident that includes body-worn camera footage.

The review by the DA’s Office is summarized in a 13-page report released Friday.

The DA’s Office released the following statement:

“On October 6, 2021, Jeremy Vellenoweth drove his truck with a .292% blood alcohol content, crashed into a wooden pole near the Napa River and fled to his home in a densely populated residential neighborhood on Pear Tree Lane in the City of Napa. Mr. Vellenoweth was angry, highly intoxicated and made numerous statements indicating that he wanted to initiate a deadly encounter with law enforcement. He waited outside drinking beer with his loaded shotgun. When his parents arrived, Mr. Vellenoweth aimed the shotgun at his father, ignored frequent directives to put the gun down, and ultimately discharged his weapon. Many residents called 911 and Napa Police Department officers arrived immediately. Believing this to be an active shooter situation, Officer Dominic Deguilio grabbed his rifle and ran quickly to the scene. Once he set up behind a small tree, Officer Deguilio saw Mr. Vellenoweth hold the shotgun in a shooting position, walk aggressively towards his father, aim the weapon at his father and begin to sweep towards the officers. Reasonably believing Mr. Vellenoweth was going to shoot his father, Officer Deguilio screamed 'put the gun down' and shot Mr. Vellenoweth, killing him. All indications demonstrate that Mr. Vellenoweth wanted to initiate a deadly encounter with law enforcement officers.

“The use of deadly force by Officer Deguilio was a reasonable and lawful response under the totality of the circumstances. Therefore, the actions were legally justified and criminal charges against him are neither warranted nor supported by the evidence.

“The public deserves full transparency as to how and why our office reaches a decision in an officer-involved shooting.”