PO Gonzalo Carrasco, Jr.
Officer: Selma Police Officer Gonzalo Carrasco, Jr.
Date: 1/31/2023 Location: Selma, CA FACTORS (1,2,7,9,15,21)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Nathaniel Dixon
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, since 2019, Dixon’s arrests include drug possession, robbery, auto theft, and possession of a firearm by a felon. / Yes, while out on probation, Dixon was illegally possessing a firearm and causing a disturbance.
Mental Illness: Unknown.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Yes, Dixon has prior drug related arrests. / None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/23
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? While on patrol at around 11:45 a.m. on January 31, 2023, Selma Police Officer (PO) Gonzalo Carrasco, Jr. was flagged down by a person in a residential area and told about a suspicious man in front of a neighbor’s house. PO Carrasco exited his patrol vehicle and walked toward that man, Nathaniel Dixon.
Actions taken by subject toward police: Without warning and for no apparent reason, Dixon shot PO Carrasco several times and then fled the scene.
Reactions by the police: PO Carrasco was transported to a hospital where he tragically died from his wounds. Officers searched for Dixon and found him and the murder weapon less than a mile from the crime scene.
How murdered? PO Carrasco was ambushed and shot while investigating a patrol pick-up of a suspicious person.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? While there had never been an officer killed in the line of duty in Selma since the department’s inception in 1893, officers need to stay tactically alert. even during what are typically mundane interactions. Given that Dixon was already armed or quickly pulled out a concealed handgun, PO Carrasco was caught at a significant disadvantage which is difficult to overcome.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? PO Carrasco would have been justified to use deadly force once he saw Dixon pointing a weapon at him (which is clearly too late since the officer never had time to even unholster his weapon) as California’s new law stipulates deadly force must have been “necessary” and not just what a reasonable officer would have done in similar circumstances.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Dixon was arrested and “booked into the Fresno County Jail on suspicion of murder, being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition, and a probation violation.”
Miscellaneous: Dixon is “a known Bulldog gang member” and the shooting “may have been gang-related.” Because of California’s AB 109 law, Dixon was released a mere five months after his 5 year 4-month sentence. Governor Newsome and the state legislators that passed that law have PO Carrasco’s blood on their hands because Dixon should have still been in prison.
