In San Diego, a police department has put one of its officers on the sidelines while it tries to learn whether he made a cruel joke at the expense of a grieving family. The officer, Jonathan Lucas, had fatally shot Leonardo Ibarra in June, after a chase that police say ended with Ibarra pointing a revolver at an officer. Now a screenshot of a memorial, bearing a 'Justice 4 Leo' sign and laughing emojis, has raised the question of whether the same hand that fired the shots also mocked the mourning. The city has yet to answer that question, and until it does, a death already contested in the pub
San Diego Officer Suspended Without Pay Pending Probe of Alleged Instagram Post Mocking Memorial for Man He Shot
Leonardo Ibarra was fatally shot by police on June 27 after allegedly pointing a revolver at an officer, and his family is grieving the death.
"This unnecessary act only reopens wounds during their already painful time."
Mark
Why did the department move this fast on a screenshot?
Mimi
Questions came in after it circulated, and Sgt. Botkin said the review began because of them. Chief Nisleit also apologized directly to Leonardo Ibarra's family.
Mark
What's the harm the chief is pointing at?
Mimi
Ibarra was shot on June 27. A memorial with candles and a 'Justice 4 Leo' sign is where a family and neighbors grieve. The image allegedly put laughing and crying emojis over it.
Luke
Before we go further, do we know the officer posted this?
Mimi
No. That is exactly what the review is meant to find out.
Luke
Then the chain matters. An anonymous user sent it to an activist group, and that user followed an account said to belong to the officer.
Mimi
Right. Two steps removed, and the account's ownership is attributed, not confirmed in the reporting.
Mark
Yet he's already suspended without pay.
Luke
Which is the department's call while it investigates. It isn't a finding. Botkin also didn't say what discipline is possible.
Mark
And the shooting itself?
Mimi
Police say Ibarra, a robbery suspect, pointed a revolver at an officer after running, and the body camera video backs the account of him dropping a bag and fleeing. That is the police description, so I'd hold it as theirs.
Le Pouls
- A San Diego officer has been suspended without pay and stripped of police powers over an Instagram post that allegedly mocks a memorial.
- The memorial belongs to Leonardo Ibarra, a man Officer Jonathan Lucas fatally shot on June 27, reopening a wound for his family.
- The image reached the public through an activist group, passed along by an anonymous user, and its link to the officer remains unproven.
- Police Chief David Nisleit has apologized to the family and promised a transparent review, but the central question of who posted the photo is still open.
- The case lands at a fragile moment for community trust in law enforcement, and its outcome will shape how the department is judged.
In San Diego, a police department has put one of its officers on the sidelines while it tries to learn whether he made a cruel joke at the expense of a grieving family. The officer, Jonathan Lucas, had fatally shot Leonardo Ibarra in June, after a chase that police say ended with Ibarra pointing a revolver at an officer. Now a screenshot of a memorial, bearing a 'Justice 4 Leo' sign and laughing emojis, has raised the question of whether the same hand that fired the shots also mocked the mourning. The city has yet to answer that question, and until it does, a death already contested in the public mind now carries a second, sharper doubt.
At a news conference on Tuesday, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit announced that officer Jonathan Lucas had been suspended without pay and stripped of his police powers. The reason was a photo, allegedly posted on Instagram, that seemed to make light of a memorial for a man Lucas had shot.
The man was Leonardo Ibarra, who died on June 27 after Lucas and another officer opened fire. Police say the two officers recognized him from a robbery flier and ordered him to stop. Body camera footage, as described by authorities, shows Ibarra running and pulling a revolver, pointed at one of the officers before both officers fired.
The accusation surfaced through a screenshot first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. It showed a makeshift memorial with candles and handmade signs, one reading "Justice 4 Leo," with laughing and tearful emojis attached. The image was shared by United Against Police Terror San Diego, which said an anonymous Instagram user had sent it, and that user was following an account said to belong to the officer.
The department is now trying to establish whether Lucas actually posted the photo. Nisleit said the alleged act "only reopens wounds" for the family, apologized to them, and promised a thorough, transparent investigation. He also acknowledged the broader strain: "This doesn't help." For now the suspension stands while the review continues.
At a news conference on Tuesday, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit announced that officer Jonathan Lucas had been suspended without pay and stripped of his police powers. The reason was a photo, allegedly posted on Instagram, that appeared to make light of a memorial for a man Lucas had fatally shot.
The man was Leonardo Ibarra, who died on June 27 after Lucas and another officer opened fire. According to police, the two officers recognized Ibarra as a robbery suspect from a flier and ordered him to stop walking. Body camera footage, as described by authorities, shows Ibarra ignoring the command, dropping a bag and running. Police say he then pulled a revolver from his waistband and pointed it at one of the officers, and both officers fired and struck him.
The new accusation surfaced through a screenshot, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. It appeared to show a makeshift memorial for Ibarra, with candles and handmade signs, one of them reading "Justice 4 Leo." Attached to the image were emojis: faces with open, laughing mouths and tears. The screenshot circulated on social media.
It was shared by United Against Police Terror San Diego, an activist group that documents alleged police misconduct in the city. A representative told the Tribune that an anonymous Instagram user had sent the photo to the group. That user, according to the newspaper, was following an account that posted the image and was said to belong to the officer. The chain, then, runs through an anonymous person and an account whose ownership is asserted, not established.
That is the question the department says it is now trying to answer. Sgt. Matthew Botkin told Fox News that the review of Lucas began after the department fielded questions about the incident, and that it aims to determine whether Lucas actually posted the photo. Botkin did not say what disciplinary actions might follow.
Nisleit was blunt about the stakes if the allegation holds. "The officer's alleged actions fall short of the high standards I and our community have for the San Diego Police Department," he said, and he apologized to Ibarra's family. The chief said the "unnecessary act only reopens wounds during their already painful time." He promised a thorough and transparent investigation.
He also placed the matter in a wider frame. "I understand that it's a very critical time relationship-wise between law enforcement and the communities that we serve," Nisleit said. "This doesn't help."
For now, the suspension and loss of police powers are in effect while the review proceeds. The findings on whether Lucas was behind the post, and whatever discipline might come of them, are what to watch next.
Citations marquantes
The officer's alleged actions fall short of the high standards I and our community have for the San Diego Police Department.— Chief David Nisleit
I understand that it's a very critical time relationship-wise between law enforcement and the communities that we serve. This doesn't help.— Chief David Nisleit
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Crime & Justice