More questions arise about the SAPD shooting of Jason Hallstrom

I would imagine that the Orange County District Attorney will soon be issuing their findings on the shooting of Jason “Hoss” Hallstrom.  It is likely that they will smear Hallstrom, who was shot in the back by Santa Ana police officers, who also wounded his friend Travis Mock. But already there are many questions being asked and the information coming out makes this shooting look even more .  

No, I have no idea what Hallstrom’s criminal record was.  That will come out soon enough.  But his death does raise questions and those deserve to be aired. I received an email tonight from Hallstrom’s longtime friend, Karen Birtcher.  Here is what she has pieced together so far:I’m sure you have been overwhelmed with so many people telling you their stories, their ideas and what their relationship with Hoss was and I’m sure you’re thinking, “oh gosh…another person with another story to tell.”  Hoss had been in regular contact with me for over 2 years prior to the day he was shot. I know that he had no police contact during that time. With that being said, I have a few things I would like to throw out there, just to see what you think. Thank you in advance for reading! 

By all accounts the incident occurred at or around 2:55 pm. How then is it possible that the OC Register at 3:42 pm already had their full names, ages and arrest history? I know Hoss did not carry any form of ID and I went to see Travis in jail to confirm if he had ID on him or not and he didn’t. They weren’t fingerprinted at the scene to verify who they were. So how did the OC Register get that information so quickly and from who? And who gave them the information about who was the passenger and who was the driver? Information that had to be corrected later. If they were trying to “stop a stolen vehicle” they should not have known who was in the car?

Statements made to the OC Register:

• Nick Avalos said he was walking out a nearby Target store with his girlfriend when he saw police blocking the street before he heard gunfire. “It would make sense that the cops were after them, because they were already here when we got to the street,” he said. “It wasn’t just one or two (shots); it was several shots.”
• Jaime Ruiz, 47, of Orange said he was driving south on Grand Avenue with his 7-year-old son when he noticed police presence and yellow tape on the road ahead of him. He pulled into the Target parking lot, where he said he got out of the car and began to talk to spectators who had begun to gather. A few minutes later, he said, he heard five or six gunshots from about 200 feet away. How is any of that possible?

Santa Ana PD cannot say they called out, for the road to be blocked because there would not have been enough time. I know this because Travis called my phone at 2:47 pm to tell Hoss he would be here in just a minute to pick him up. Hoss and my (2) daughters (Jennifer and Christina) walked out together, so my daughters could say to hi to Travis. My daughters said they talked to Travis (while he sat in the car) for a few minutes before they went one way and Travis drove off in the opposite direction. (I live in XXX XXX). They left here made a right turn at 4th Street, got on the freeway and exited at Grand Avenue. Everything was said and done with at 2:55 pm. That’s a total 8 minutes from the time he called, arrived here, talked to my daughters, got on the freeway and then they were being shot at.

Travis and his brother were expected to give their depositions in regards to the Anaheim shooting on Saturday March 16th and Travis was shot on Friday March 15th. Could this be coincidence or just perfect timing…who knows? Another thing I find really odd is while his brother was in jail back in I think it was December, his brother got an official visit from Tony Rackauckas. Why would he go visit him? What could be so important that he himself would go see Travis’ brother?

I’m sorry for rambling on and I don’t want to seem like I’m all about conspiracies. I just know that on March 15, 2013 there was no need for either of my friends to be shot in the back and I’m just trying to understand how and why it happened that way it did. Thanks for your time and hopefully we will have the opportunity to meet on Saturday April 13th.

Saturday April 13th at 7:30 pm. In memory of Jason Hallstrom (known to many as Hoss) there will be a candlelight vigil in his honor. Please pass this information on to anybody that knew him. After the candlelight vigil (for those old enough) we will be going to one of his favorite spots…The Quill Lounge located at 1630 Mabury Street in Santa Ana to continue celebrating Hoss’ life and share stories among old friends and new friends. Sincerely, Karen Birtcher

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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