Anaheim cop cleared in fatal shooting that sparked violence

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After a months-long investigation, prosecutors Wednesday announced they have cleared the Anaheim police officer who shot and killed a young man last summer, prompting a wave of protests and unrest over the summer in Orange County’s largest city.

At a news conference Wednesday, prosecutors said Officer Nicholas Bennallack of the Anaheim Police Department had reason to believe that his life was in danger after cornering 25-year-old Manuel Diaz in an apartment complex courtyard

Prosecutors said the officer had only a split-second to act.

The report released by the district attorney’s office said Bennallack was ‘on the horns of a do-or-die dilemma.’

At the news conference, authorities said that Diaz -- who was shot twice, first in the rear and again in the head -- was a gang member with a previous conviction on gun charges.

A cellphone recovered at the scene had photos of him flashing gang signs and brandishing a handgun, authorities said.

His family, through an attorney, has denied the allegation that he was part of a gang. They were said to be ‘in tears and distraught’ upon reading the report’s findings, attorney Dana Douglas said.

The shooting was one of several officer-involved incidents in the increasingly Latino city and triggered street violence and demands for political reform. ALSO:

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-- Rick Rojas