On February 25, 2020 The Justice System Integrity Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office completed its review of the August 30, 2018, fatal shooting of Vanessa Marquez by South Pasadena Police Department Officers Gilberto Carrillo and Christopher Perez. The DA’s office determined that Carrillo and Perez acted in lawful self-defense and defense of others.
On August 30, 2018, SPPD officers responded to an apartment located on Fremont Avenue, in the City of South Pasadena, to conduct a welfare check on Vanessa Marquez, who was 49 years old at the time. Marquez is widely known for her recurring role in the first three seasons of the television show “ER†as nurse Wendy Goldman, as well as her role as Ana Delgado in the 1988 teacher drama Stand and Deliver. Marquez lived in an upstairs apartment in a South Pasadena apartment complex.
When officers first entered Marquez’s apartment, they had difficulty pushing the door open due to boxes and other items piled near the interior side of the door. The apartment was severely cluttered – in hoarding conditions, and it was evident that Marquez had not been outside for weeks. Officers cleared a path to the bedroom, announcing their presence and calling out to Marquez several times. They arrived at the bedroom door and saw Marquez lying on her bed surrounded by several items, including an open laptop. Marquez would later tell a first responder – who estimated Marquez’s weight to be 80 pounds – that she had not eaten in five days.
After a significant amount of time attempting to persuade Marquez to accompany them to the hospital voluntarily, including an evaluation by a mental health professional, Officer Carrillo advised Marquez of their intention to detain her. At that time, Carrillo was standing in the bedroom doorway as he spoke with Marquez. Two paramedics waited immediately outside the bedroom door.
As Carrillo began to read advisements from a form, Marquez, who was sitting on her bed facing the doorway, became upset and insisted that she would not go to the hospital for an evaluation. Suddenly, Marquez grabbed a pair of scissors. It appeared to Officer Carrillo that she was going to attempt to harm herself with them, but then Marquez uncovered and quickly grabbed a handgun, pointing it at Officer Carrillo and then at herself. All emergency responders retreated, however Marquez was shot and killed shortly thereafter, when she emerged with the gun pointed at officers.
Notably, on 9/27/16 officers responded to Marquez’s apartment on a different welfare check call, after no one had been able to get in touch with her for a week. In that incident, firefighters used a ladder to make entry through her bedroom window. Responders found Marquez in her bedroom, and she was involuntarily taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital.
(More details in a pinned comment. Apparently I’m out of characters here :P)
The 419-page case file for this incident is available now to all Real World Police supporters on Patreon. Also available is a 19-minute video, captured on the body-worn camera of an officer who was not directly involved in the shooting. That officer’s positioning throughout the incident offers an ‘outsider’ perspective on the incident, relative to the shooting officers. The video will be available here late next week. As always, an overwhelming majority of this footage has never been published elsewhere.
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Marquez’s last Facebook post occurred minutes prior to her confrontation with officers from the South Pasadena Police Department. On August 30, 2018, at approximately 1346 hours, Marquez wrote:
"there shooting cremate me pour ashes over Hollywood sign.’’
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The following is transcribed from the case file:
On September 10, 2018, a search warrant to obtain records from Marquez’ Facebook account was signed and authorized by the Honorable Judge Shelly Torrealba of the Central Judicial District, East Los Angeles Superior Court. On October 4, 2018, investigators received Marquez’ records from Facebook. Sergeant Morales reviewed the records and noted the following:
Marquez’ Facebook username was “vanessarmarquez.†Investigators received Marquez’ Facebook records between January 1, 2018, and September 1, 2018.
In Facebook posts, Marquez described herself as “terminally ill†and weighing 82 pounds. She described living with pain associated with autoimmune disorders Celiac Disease and Fibromyalgia. Over the past year, Marquez also chronicled on Facebook her disagreements with her landlord and her possible eviction from her apartment. Marquez also described in many of her posts of being “blacklisted†from Hollywood following her complaints of sexual harassment.
Sergeant Morales noted some of Marquez’ Facebook posts in recent months:
On April 17, 2018, Marquez posted that she had discussed doctor-assisted suicide with her doctor when it became law in California. She wrote that she wished she had done the “paperwork.â€
On April 27, 2018, Marquez wrote in a post that she was upset with her landlord and believed he was a violent person. She indicated she was going to protect herself by sleeping in her bed with scissors and pepper spray.
On June 25, 2018, in a long rambling Facebook post, Marquez described herself as “feeling broken.†She indicated she was upset a maid service refused to clean her apartment due to a-health hazard. Marquez described her home as “officially being from an episode of Hoarders." She also described that her terminal illness had left her at 82 pounds and unable to walk, writing:
“This disease is supposed to be terminal. WHEN THE FUCK IS IT GOING TO TAKE ME OUT??? WHEN??? I’ve reached my limit. I’m physically and mentally exhausted. I don’t give a FUCK ANYMORE!"
In the same post, Marquez wrote that she was going to purchase a gun to protect herself:
"The next person who decides to come into this house, whether it’s the landlord, his cunt receptionist, or YOU, I’m going to shoot first and ask who is it later.’’
Marquez continued in the post that she had found an “air†gun for $28 dollars from Smith & Wesson. She wrote:
“Is that a real gun? I don’t want it to be but if it can scare someone enough to crap their pants GOOD..’’
Marquez described in the post of the emotional toll her illness has had on her:
“This is fighting terminal illness alone. If the measure of a life is by the family and friends IN your life and home, thenmy life has been of no value. So why should I have justice for being assaulted, harassed and BLACKLISTED… I want to die NOW. I don’t want to wait on God anymore. God can fuck itself.’’
On July 12, 2018, Marquez posted her Facebook account:
“After I nearly got arrested in my own home trying to report my landlord, I bought a gun; a fake bb gun but it looks like a Glock. I’ve ordered a taser as well and I told the police if you're not going to protect me and return my wheelchair stolen by the landlord. But you better warn him because I’m armed and I'll shoot anyone who comes into this house INCLUDING YOU. That is my glorious 2nd Amendment right isn’t it?’’
On August 4, 2018, Marquez wrote on Huntington Hospital's Facebook page that she was upset with paramedics who made fun of her and joking about her “fake seizures.â€
On August 6, 2018, Marquez again wrote on Huntington Hospital's Facebook page that she was upset with emergency room staff. She wrote:
““I TOTALLY, TOTALLY understand why people say fuck it and go postal. Totally."
On August 29, 2018, Marquez posted that her seizures were back. She wrote if she was not heard from, to call the South Pasadena Police Department.
On August 30, 2018, at approximately 0747 hours, Marquez updated her Facebook status as “Seizerses [sic] bad.â€
The investigation is continuing with further reports to follow."
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The 419-page case file for this incident is available now to all Real World Police supporters on Patreon. Also available now is a 19-minute video, captured on the body-worn camera of an officer who was not directly involved in the shooting. That officer's positioning throughout the incident offers an 'outsider' perspective on the incident, relative to the shooting officers. The video will be available here late next week.
She just wanted to be left alone 🙁
8:10
.
She is living horribly but reveals the capacity to make decisions.
It’s very hard to take someone without their consent. Self determination is a large burden to overcome. Even if it’s obvious the Pt is not rational
Sorry but the seizure part is totally malingering.
She was 90 lbs they could have use non lethal rounds or tazed her
That hospital must really suck for her to choose death over going
Her suicide is an absolute tragedy all around. Shows the side of Hollywood you don’t see in the media. I hope her family and officers recover from the mental anguish as well
What does that officer mean when he asks the other officers if they are ok and that no one is hurt? She didn't fire the gun and if she had they would have suffered a mild sting from a BB pellet at the most!!! Fucking Heroes!! Such BRAVE men!!r
Why so many shots? One of two would have done. Evil bastards. All they are thinking about is their own lives. Cowards!!
US police are like US soldiers….trigger happy. Always have been. British soldiers in WWII said they were just as frightened of the Yanks as they were the Germans when it came to battles. Never be in front of Yank soldiers was a warning to other allied units. If this incident had been in the UK the police would have backed off and brought in a specialist to talk to her through either a megaphone or try to contact her by phone. There was no need for this ending.
Fair play to the police. This must not be a fun day at work. Dark shit
damn.. they really killed her.
Two warnings to watch this video, this should be good
Why are they in her house ? Police or not….stay the f out of my house. They were wrong. Police force is unbelievable. That wasn't a suicide by cop… and the only ones that have to live with themselves and answer to God is the men who killed her and hid behind their badge.
All I could think about is the saying that your the state of your home reflects the state of your mind
“In February 2019, attorneys representing her mother filed a wrongful death claim against the City of South Pasadena. The claim alleges battery, negligence, unlawful entry, false arrest and imprisonment, wrongful death, negligent training, conspiracy, seizure of property, failure to summon prompt medical care and violation of the Bane Act.[2][11]
In March 2020, the South Pasadena Police Department released bodycam footage from the incident, showing Marquez pleading to the officers to kill her, as well as pointing the BB gun at them.[12] The LA County District Attorney's Office released its report on February 25 the same year.
On February 23, 2021, the City of South Pasadena settled the wrongful death suit with Marquez's mother in the amount of $450,000â€
I can't believe the mom sued and WON. What the hell 2021? We all saw she pulled something first. I hate that the cops have to get flack for responding to the incident accordingly. She should have gotten help sooner. Looks like she has been suffering like this for awhile.
Yikes. That is some serious chaos in her bedroom.
These things happen, we have to accept things we don’t want to happen happen
Oh wow looks like she was holding stuffed animals when they shot her 😢
This breaks my heart. She needed mental and medical attention. A social worker should have been there. System always fails :/
Probably suicide by cop
Police brutality
so very sad
If you guys thinking her sefty then if that time leave her alone 2 hours , then maybe no need to do like this ,,ðŸ™ðŸ™ðŸ™ðŸ™ðŸ™
You know when people pull a firearm on the people who want to help you, that definitely someone unstable and very unwell. God grant her mercy.
I don't know if it's because of the circumstances, or the fact she's such a familiar face on TV, but this was so much heavier than the other shootings I've watched on here. God rest her soul. I don't know of any other way this could have gone though.. I'd be tempted to get in close to stop her using the gun and just hold on to her. 80lbs, she's not putting up much of a fight. But I wasn't there. We weren't there. So sad that someone in need of help didn't want the help and would rather find death a way out of those circumstances. So Sad. Rest in peace Vanessa Marquez. You were a beautiful, but tortured soul. So sorry it had to end this way for you. Thoughts are with the family and friends.
😱😱😱😱😱
I've never watched ER series. I'm sad and feel pity for misfortune. She was in a long-term both physical and mental issue that badly ruined her life. Rest in peace, Marquez. God will be with you.
R.I.P …..very sad ending to her life like this.
Maybe, maybe one day America can actually survive without weaponary and what a consoling day that will be!
So professional. They probably cuffed the body. “Vanessa, we’re here to help you!†They should go through the neighborhood house to house making sure that everyone gets “helped.â€
I feel like crying right now
Poor girl 🙁
Her mother is probably happy becouse she got a settlement of 450000$…. She wasn't there to help her out when she was alive though…..
man this is heart breaking
Police and others have no right to come in someone's room and end up killer her.
Go get all the bums and street people who are a danger to themselves.. FUCKING STUPID !!!
POLICE & JUDGE You need to be fired…You guy's should have backed off ..
EVERYTHING YOU DID WAS WRONG!
Pointing a gun at police but the state of California still awarded her mother $450,000 for a "wrongful death". Stay classy Cali. And never go there.
7:52 "I'm done" 🙁
I really want to know WHO SHOT THE POT?!
We mean no harm!
cowards did not have to kill her they could have talked her out but no they shoot instead tough guys despicable shites. dam them all
A sure sign of depression are Christmas decorations in a person's house in late August.
Why didn't they simply bring her mother in to talk to her and coax her out. Los Angeles just settled a civil lawsuit in the amount of $450,000 brought by her mother after this shooting. The original lawsuit was seeking millions of dollars for police misconduct.