Officer’s Shooting of Suspect Called Justified

Authorities on Tuesday released the name of the Ventura police officer who shot and killed a murder suspect Sunday, and also announced that a preliminary investigation determined the shooting was justified.

Cpl. John Dean, a 20-year veteran who works on patrol as well as the SWAT team, remained on paid leave following the Sunday morning shooting of Alfonso Acosta Delgado Jr., 25, of Ventura.

Delgado was shot after a five-hour standoff with police at his grandmother’s Ventura home. He had been wanted in connection with the April shooting death of Ventura store clerk Alejandro Alvarez, 35.

Police Lt. Carl Handy said Dean would probably return to work within a week. The department’s administrative and criminal investigations into the shooting should be concluded by the end of the month, Handy said.