Spencer Carmen Mendez — Shot in the Back at 15
A 15-year-old boy fell out of a car during a police chase and ran through an orchard. Officer Ross Bays got out of his vehicle and within seconds, without any verbal warning, emptied his entire magazine into the teenager's back. An autopsy confirmed he was shot in the back. The DA ruled it justified. This was Officer Bays' second fatal shooting in less than a year.
What Happened
On August 18, 2018, Ceres Police Officer Ross Bays was chasing a black Lexus east of Ceres, responding to reports of someone brandishing a weapon at a local skate park. When the car stopped, 15-year-old Spencer Carmen Mendez fell out of the passenger side.
Mendez ran. He ran through an orchard. Away from the officer. Not toward him.
Officer Bays got out of his patrol car. He did not call out. He did not issue a single verbal command. He did not warn the boy to stop. Within seconds, he emptied his entire magazine at the running teenager.
The autopsy revealed Spencer was shot twice — once in the back and once in the upper right arm. He was running away when he was killed.
A gun was found at the scene, but it was over five feet from Spencer's body. The family's attorney argued: "You may only use lethal force when you are in fact threatened with grave bodily injury. Someone running away, even if armed, is not a threat."
Key Players
Timeline
Outcome
A 15-year-old boy was shot in the back while running away. No warning was given. The officer who killed him had already killed someone else the same year. The DA called it justified. Taxpayers paid $4.1 million for one officer's two fatal shootings.
Why This Matters
Spencer Carmen Mendez was a child. He was 15 years old. He was running away — not toward the officer. The bodycam shows zero verbal commands before gunfire. The autopsy proves he was shot in the back.
The officer who killed him had already been involved in a fatal shooting. He was cleared both times. The system looked at a cop who killed two people in less than a year and said: justified.
Under Tennessee v. Garner (1985), an officer may not use deadly force against a fleeing suspect unless the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious injury. A 15-year-old running through an orchard, shot in the back, is the textbook case the Supreme Court was trying to prevent.