Sgt. Erasmo Garcia-Torres

Officer: Puerto Rico Police Department, Sergeant Erasmo García-Torres

Date: 6/10/2021              Location: Ponce, Puerto Rico FACTORS (1,2,8,9,15)

Perpetrator(s) Involved: Bryan Ramos Rivera

Criminal Activity History/Involved: Unknown./Yes, a minor traffic infraction.

Mental Illness: Unknown.

Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown./None stated.

Race/Sex/Age: Latino/Male/28

What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At approximately 12:05 p.m. on June 10, 2021, Sgt. Garcia-Torres pulled over a vehicle operated by Bryan Rivera after observing Rivera commit a traffic infraction.

Actions taken by subject toward police: Rivera ignored Sgt. Garcia-Torres lawful orders, exited his vehicle and walked away from his vehicle. As the Sgt. followed him demanding he stop, Rivera suddenly turned around and shot Garcia-Torres twice, with at least one striking his head killing him.

Reactions by the police: Responding officers searched for Rivera and arrested him later in the afternoon.

How murdered? Sgt. Garcia-Torres was shot while conducting a car stop for a minor traffic infraction.

What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Rivera’s failure to comply certainly raised the threat level but not to the point that a reasonable officer would have suspected deadly force would be imminently necessary. Sgt. Garcia-Torres conducted himself the way most officers would on such a stop. When following a non-compliant subject it would be more tactical to change position to the left or right as the subject turns their back.

Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? No, there was no indication Sgt. Garcia-Torres thought Rivera was armed. This incident shows how such a furtive movement by a suspect puts the officer on the defensive and typically too late to use the necessary force to combat it…which is why officer’s act aggressive during interactions with unknown, non-compliant subjects and deescalate as appropriate.

Outcome for the cop-killer: Rivera was caught shortly after and is charged with murder.

Miscellaneous: Reporting out of Puerto Rico on these type of incidents are typically sparse. Representative of his dedication to the job which he had been on for nearly 30 years, Sgt. Garcia-Torres was on his lunch break when he observed the traffic violation and pulled over Rivera.