Report’s release delayed on Pasadena police shooting of unarmed teen

The release of a report on how Pasadena police investigated the fatal shooting of an unarmed teen has been delayed after a judge granted the officers’ association a temporary restraining order.

The association, the city and any interested parties have until Sept. 23 to file arguments for or against releasing the independent report, according to Pasadena city officials.

The police officers’ association filed a request to bar the report’s public release, claiming that the report revealed personnel records on the two officers who shot Kendrec McDade, 19, in March 2012, not long after the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida.

McDade was shot while fleeing police, who were responding to a report of an armed robbery. A person called 911 and reported his laptop had been stolen at gunpoint; later, it was revealed the victim’s backpack with his laptop in it was stolen from his car. McDade was not armed.

Several agencies investigated the incident and determined the shooting was justified; the city settled a civil suit with McDade’s family for $1 million. But in the wake of the shooting, an outside firm was tapped to review how Pasadena police investigated the incident and suggest changes to the process.

The city had planned to release the report’s recommendations and the department’s response Sept. 15 at its monthly public safety meeting. That will not happen in light of Monday’s ruling, said city spokesman William Boyer.

The police association learned of the report’s potential release after the city notified the officers that members of the public and media had filed public records requests for it, Boyer said.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.