Shooting Ruled as Self-Defense

A 37-year-old Ojai man who shot and killed a man outside a Meiners Oaks stable Dec. 10 acted in self-defense, officials said Friday.

The district attorney’s office announced that no criminal charges will be filed against Matthew Mattley, who shot Brent Price, 29, at a range of 2 feet.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Holmes described the events as follows:

About 12:30 a.m., Price, who had been drinking, was having an argument with his 30-year-old girlfriend on a dirt driveway near a horse-boarding ranch.

Mattley, a neighbor, came out to see what was happening. Price charged at Mattley with a chain that he frequently used as a weapon, Holmes said. Mattley shot Price, who was pronounced dead less than two hours later at Ojai Valley Hospital.

“It was determined that the killing in this case was the result of an act of self-defense and therefore justifiable,” Holmes said. “Accordingly, no criminal charges will be filed in connection with this matter.”