THE SCARY GUN: APD responds to my Albert Arzola story. UPDATED after Community Meeting.

An Anaheim gang unit officer killed 19-year-old Albert Arzola on Saturday night Dec. 6 for reasons still unclear, and the following day my wife Donna and I went to the neighborhood to do some investigation, talk to some witnesses, roust up some videos, all of which ended up in my story Sunday night, which was quickly read by over 5000 people. Because no mainstream papers or media had any reporting at all on the killing, nothing that told you anything anyway.

Well, the authorities (city and APD) were not so appreciative. They called me to tell me I had wrongly identified one video as the fatal shooting of Albert when it was actually the shooting of a “non-lethal round” into the neck of one of his friends 15 minutes later. And I made that correction, and appreciate them telling me.

But when we showed up to talk about the killing at city council Tuesday night, they told me (they being police union president Jose Duran, police PIO Matt Sutter, and city spokesman Mike Lyster) that I still had a lot of facts wrong! Well, enlighten me! All I know is what witnesses told me and what we see in videos. Not to worry, said all these spokesmen, we are going to have an “informational meeting” explaining it all, and we’ll do it tomorrow night, Wednesday night! (That got postponed and moved, and will now be Monday night – tonight! – Dec. 15, 6:30 at City Hall. I think they are trying to avoid protesters.)

But while I was still standing in front of City Hall Tuesday night, about to leave, the spokesmen were all like, “Wait, Vern. You gotta see this photograph. This is the gun we found near Mr. Arzola.” And Sutter showed me, on his phone, the same photo you see up above:

Well, I don’t know from guns. Looks kind of ugly. But the important thing: “Was Albert holding that gun, was he threatening anybody with it?”

“No,” Sutter admitted, “it was found near him.” Or maybe he said “next to him,” as the press release eventually had it.

“Neighbors told me that the gun was found in the back yard.”

“Oh, we found one there too, we found several guns on the property.” He continued (reasonably) “I’m not saying they were all illegal, people do have a right to own guns.”

“Well, what everybody wants to know is why Albert was shot and killed, and I don’t see how this ‘gun found next to him’ helps with that.” But that is what they are going with now, and they’re even calling the gun an “assault-style firearm,” which drew ridicule from a legion of gun enthusiasts online. Here, here’s their press release, the APD press release from Wednesday December 10. I’m-a bold the fishy parts.

On December 6, 2025, at approximately 9:32 p.m., two Anaheim Police officers were patrolling as part of gang suppression operations. As they drove south on Philadelphia Street, the officers attempted to contact several individuals. While the specific reason for the contact is still being determined, the area has a long history of documented gang-related activity. The individuals ran toward a nearby residence, and the officers pursued them on foot.

Several subjects entered the residence before officers could stop them. Officers attempted to detain one individual, identified as 19-year-old Alberto Arzola, and a struggle occurred. During the encounter, one officer discharged his firearm, striking Mr. Arzola. Officers took cover and requested additional resources, including paramedics. Mr. Arzola was moved to a safer location so that officers could render medical aid. However, Mr. Arzola was pronounced deceased at the scene. A loaded assault style firearm (pictured below) was recovered in the grass next to him. 

A large crowd formed after the shooting, making it difficult for officers to identify and interview potential witnesses and ensure that no one inside the residence had been injured by gunfire. Fifteen minutes after the initial shooting, another individual, identified as 18-year-old Emmanuel Cordova, jumped from the backyard into the front yard and ignored repeated commands while possibly tampering with evidence. A single less lethal bean bag round was deployed, striking Mr. Cordova. He was treated at the hospital for a minor injury and medically cleared later that night.

A video circulating online shows the less lethal deployment involving Mr. Cordova. This is not footage of the shooting of Mr. Arzola. The less lethal incident occurred approximately fifteen minutes later.

Once the occupants complied, officers safely cleared the residence. Sixteen individuals were detained as part of the ongoing investigation.

As with all officer-involved shootings, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Anaheim Police Department detectives, Internal Affairs, and the Major Incident Review Team are conducting independent and concurrent reviews. These investigations are already underway.

Body-worn camera footage and other related videos will be released in the near future. The Anaheim Police Department remains committed to transparency and appreciates the community’s patience as evidence is gathered and reviewed.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855 TIP OCCS.

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As we prepare for what they’re gonna throw at us tonight, let’s examine those bolded passages above.

1. “the specific reason for the contact is still being determined” – that right there is a WTF? Four days after these gang officers tried to roust or arrest or I’m sorry “contact” Albert, their bosses still have no idea why? Or, there’s just not a real legitimate sounding reason that they’ve managed to come up with yet? Sounds like what happens to the young men in MY neighborhood.

2. “a struggle occurred. During the encounter, one officer discharged his firearm” This is the important moment, and still so vague – at least we’re using active voice rather than passive as “an officer-involved shooting occurred.” I didn’t hear about any “struggle” from the witnesses (though we should see what sort of struggle on bodycam) but what they did-all see was an officer falling down the porch steps and THEN immediately firing 2 or 3 times at Albert, at least one of those shots immediately fatal. We all want to know WHY??

3. The description of this gun as “assault style firearm” was widely ridiculed online by gun enthusiasts. It is either a TEC-9 or AP9 9mm pistol, and it’s old, probably at least 40 years old and jams a lot, and is not “automatic.” And the calling this gun “assault-style” is an obvious propaganda move to make Albert seem very dangerous. Be that as it may, it’s one thing if Albert was holding this old gun and pointing it at anybody, but by all accounts, including the police, he wasn’t. And who knows if it was even his, or has his fingerprints or DNA on it? It all seems very irrelevant to WHY THE FUCK WAS HE KILLED?

4. “recovered in the grass next to him” – there’s a few words there that weren’t in the shorter, social-media version, or what Sutter told me – “IN THE GRASS?” Albert was not killed on the grass. He was killed standing on the front porch, and then dragged over to the grass, allegedly because it was a “safer location” for the police to “render medical aid.” And THEN they found this gun “next to him?” Really, how does that work? We are legit confused.

5. “Sixteen individuals were detained as part of the ongoing investigation.” I think, if I’m not wrong, that they are referring to the sixteen (I’d heard around a dozen) folks that they handcuffed for a while on the front lawn, which included Albert’s parents and sisters. Because they were furious with grief and raising hell. What ongoing investigation?

6. “Call Orange County Crime Stoppers.” That does sound like a good idea at first blush, because it really does seem like a crime was committed – an unjustified and unnecessary killing by a policeman. Does Orange County Crime Stoppers help with that? That is good to know, if so.

We’ll see you tonight at City Hall, 6:30, let’s see if we learn anything, or if it’s all just the standard gaslighting.

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UPDATE WEDNESDAY
after the Community “Information” Meeting

Last night at City Hall we learned (or were told) just a COUPLE of little details, a COUPLE of new pieces of the gap-filled, defective jigsaw puzzle passing as the police narrative of why they killed 19-year-old Albert Arzola (and shot 18-year-old Emmanuel Cordova.)  Sgt Sutter shared those two new details gleaned from the shooting cops (who are now on paid leave, which pissed everybody off!)  Basically the bulk of Sutter’s presentation was the Dec. 10 press release with these two new details added in.  Any other info Sutter could not give, any other questions he could not answer, because of the “ongoing investigation” which DA Todd Spitzer may take a year to complete.

FIRST.  We had wondered WHY the gang unit was after Albert and his friends – remember, they said “the specific reason for the contact is still being determined.”  Well, that mystery is cleared up now – Albert and his friends were suspected of graffiti!  Which is apparently now a capital offense.  We did get an admission that the gang unit was chasing these kids in an unmarked car, on a dark Saturday night at 9:30, which makes it unsurprising that they ran.  It also makes it really hard to believe that Albert later pulled out a gun to shoot or threaten his way out of a graffiti rap.

SECOND, the SCARY GUN.  They are still saying it “was recovered on the grass next to” the victim.  (To be accurate there IS no grass in that bare front yard to which they dragged Albert’s body.)  Now they have added, based on the shooter’s testimony, that, before Albert was shot, on the front porch, he “produced” a gun.  “Produced?”  We couldn’t get an explanation of what that meant, “I don’t know, it says ‘produced.’” Was this the same gun, the gun in the picture, that was “produced” by Albert while he was still alive on the porch, and somehow later “recovered next to him on the grass” 30 feet away?  How does that work? 

The rest, we learned from audience members, a surprisingly large, angry and skeptical audience of Albert’s family members, friends, neighbors and lawyers, many well-known local activists, and two rival out-of-town protest groups.

Who were the 16 (earlier reported as “about a dozen”) folks who were “detained” (handcuffed on the sidewalk) after the killing, supposedly “as part of the ongoing investigation?”  We learned from Albert’s outspoken aunt that several of them were young children – some as young as 4 or 5.  Handcuffed on the sidewalk for hours after watching Albert get killed.  One of them needed to pee, and the cops made him pee on the sidewalk in front of the other kids.  Albert’s aunt detailed their ongoing traumatization with righteous fury.  We do hope that these children were helpful “in the ongoing investigation.” 

More as I remember it.  Soon we’ll have a YouTube of the whole event, which the city & police didn’t feel worthy of broadcasting or recording.  But the sight of about 150 angry, skeptical residents facing off against police and three Councilmembers (Ashleigh, Carlos & Norma) felt like the beginning of a revolution.