Crime & Safety

Cop Allegedly Killed Unarmed 'Peacemaker'

A man whom officials believe was fatally shot by an off-duty sheriff's deputy in a bar was unarmed and was trying to break up a fight, an official says.

A man who was fatally shot -- allegedly by an off-duty deputy -- was unarmed, a District Attorney spokesperson said today.

The suspect, Dayle William Long, 42, a deputy with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, allegedly killed 36-year-old Winchester resident Samuel Vanettes at on Murrieta Hot Springs Road on Wednesday night.

To read witness accounts of the crime, .

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Long appeared in a court at the in French Valley today in a red prison uniform, shackled at the ankles and his wrists cuffed to a chain around his waist.

He was scheduled to be arraigned today, but the hearing was postponed, because the defense needed more time to go over the facts, said Deputy Public Defender Jeff Zimel.

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"There is more to this story than what I've seen in the papers," he said after the hearing.

Victim was a "peacemaker"

The victim was trying to keep the peace in the bar when Long gunned him down, said John Hall, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's office.

Long and another bar patron were in a heated argument when Vanettes stepped in to break up the fight. That's when the off-duty deputy pulled out a handgun and shot him.

The victim died of multiple gunshot wounds on the floor of the bar, according to the sheriff's coroner.

"He came in to act as a peacemaker and ended up getting shot," Hall said.

To see a video taken at the crime scene just after the incident, .

The victim was unarmed and showing no aggressive behavior, Hall said.
Long is being held in lieu of $1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court again for arraignment on Jan. 12, according to court records.

Camera shy

Long and his attorneys requested the media be barred from taking photos during the hearing, but Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez  denied the request.

The suspect shirked several camera-toting reporters by keeping his face turned away and stepping only a few feet into the courtroom, dwelling near a wall rather than sitting in an area designated for defendants.


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