New Details Emerge in Officer-Involved Shooting That Left One Dead as Community Calls for “Justice”

EL CENTRO, Calif. — New details have been released surrounding the October 5 officer-involved shooting in El Centro that left 14-year-old Mikey “Moso” Jimenez dead, with the incident still under multiple investigations and growing calls for “justice” from community members.

According to the El Centro Police Department, the incident began at approximately 6:30 p.m. when an automated license plate reader identified a stolen Hyundai Elantra entering the city. Officers located the vehicle in a parking area behind a restaurant in the 400 block of East Main Street. The department stated in its community briefing that as officers approached, “two suspects fled on foot,” and that marked police units positioned themselves in the driveway with red and blue emergency lights activated.

The police department said the juvenile driver “accelerated the vehicle toward officers,” and two officers were in the direct path of the car at the time of the shooting. The department’s presentation showed video of an officer firing multiple rounds into the driver’s side of the vehicle. Officers and paramedics administered first aid, but the juvenile was pronounced dead at the scene. Two juvenile passengers were detained but not charged with any crime, and additional juveniles located later were also interviewed and not found to be involved in criminal activity.

El Centro Police Chief Kelly Brown stated in the briefing that “the police department’s highest priority is the preservation of life and public safety,” adding that these incidents affect “the family, the officers, the police department, and the community.” The department also emphasized that no conclusions will be made until all investigations are complete.

Attorneys representing the Jimenez family at McKenzie Scott PC dispute key elements of the police account, alleging that officers gave no commands and claiming Mikey had brought the vehicle to a stop before shots were fired. They further allege that nearly two dozen rounds were discharged. These statements represent the position of the family’s legal team and remain allegations while the official investigations are ongoing.

The police department’s community briefing video, released November 19, included dashboard camera and surveillance footage but no body-worn camera footage from at least one involved officer. Attorneys allege the video is incomplete and does not identify the officers involved. The department has not yet released the names of the officers or the number of rounds fired, citing the ongoing investigations.

According to the social media page “Valle Imperial Resiste,” the group criticized the release, stating that ECPD denied their request for the unedited footage due to the ongoing investigation, yet published what they described as a curated version of events. The page stated that the police version “is an attempt to control the narrative” and alleged that the footage shows the vehicle was already blocked by patrol units. They also stated that the community “deserves to see” the full, unedited recording.

During Saturday’s press conference held in front of the restaurant where the shooting occurred, Mikey’s older sister, Julissa, reflected on her favorite memories with him, saying, “just that and I say just like being young with him and growing up with him because we didn’t have really much but us… I say that’s just probably I say everything is my favorite memory just from being a kid to now.”

Mikey’s mother, Alma Serrano, also spoke during the press conference, saying she will continue fighting until justice is achieved for her son. “This isn’t fair. He still had life ahead of him. And he had a life to still make changes of any mistakes that he did make. People think that he didn’t have any issues or he was just like any other normal kid. My son had some issues, you know, and that made him make unsafe choices sometimes, but that doesn’t mean he has to die over this. Like, no kid deserves to die,” she said.

She continued, “We’re a strong family and as strong as we were, we’re going to stay strong like that for my son. And it’s not over. We’re going to get justice because this wasn’t right.”

Alma described her final moments with Mikey, recalling, “My last memory with my son, it was before he went out the door. We were watching a Netflix movie with his baby brother, Ivan. He’s 7 years old. And we were just right there playing around, tickling each other, you know, just playing around like a family. And maybe like 30 minutes later, he went out the door to go spend time with his friends. And not even an hour later, he died.”

The shooting remains under three separate reviews: the El Centro Police Department, the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office, and an internal affairs investigation. No official findings have been issued.

Community members continue to call for accountability as the investigative process continues, with supporters of the family urging transparency and answers regarding the events of October 5.