Police Say Shooting of Man Was Justified

Ventura police on Friday said officers were justified in shooting and killing a crazed, jealous man who held his former lover hostage for hours before stabbing her to death.

Ventura Police Lt. Carl Handy said that while the findings are only preliminary, he doesn’t expect anything will change as the investigation moves toward a conclusion.

The report gives the green light for the two officers placed on administrative leave after the shooting to return to duty, Handy said.

“We want people to know that we take these matters seriously,” Handy said of the internal investigation.

“We wanted to very quickly determine if we had a problem with what happened. At this point, we don’t see any policy issues to contend with.”

The Police Department also said a further review by the district attorney’s office will be forthcoming.

Police fatally shot Roland E. Sheehan on Dec. 4 after waiting nine hours for him to release his ex-girlfriend, Ventura hair stylist Vicki Shade.

Police said that after a daylong standoff with dozens of heavily armed SWAT officers, it was apparent Sheehan was not going to give up peacefully.

Police found Sheehan, 43, in an upstairs closet and shot him 11 times after he lunged at officers with a large butcher knife.

Shade stumbled out of the closet seconds later and was immediately rushed to Ventura County Medical Center, where she died from multiple stab wounds in the chest.