Coroner: David Pelaez-Chavez shot in head and chest by Sonoma County deputy, was on meth at time of chase and death

David Pelaez-Chavez, an undocumented worker killed by a Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputy after a foot chase on July 29, 2022, was killed by gunshots to the head and chest and was on methamphetamine at the time of his death, according to a report released by the Marin County Coroner’s Office.

While it took more than seven months for authorities to release the coroner’s report, extensive body camera footage from the pursuit and killing of Pelaez-Chavez led to few surprises in the findings.

The camera footage already revealed that Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Dietrick shot Pelaez-Chavez three times following a 45-minute foot chase through rough terrain in the rural Knights Valley. Deputies were called to the scene after residents reported a break-in attempt and other erratic behavior by the man.

Dietrick shot Pelaez-Chavez after the pursuit came to a halt, following a stand-off that lasted around 30 seconds, during which Pelaez-Chavez appears exhausted and bends over. Law enforcement officials have said he appeared to be reaching for a rock.

According to the coroner’s report, one of Dietrick’s shots hit Pelaez-Chavez in the left side of his head and passed through his ear canal. Another round struck him in the left side of his chest. He also had a grazing gunshot wound on his left arm, which the coroner said could be from another bullet or the bullet that hit his chest. The report does not indicate the order of the shots.

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez’s office received the completed autopsy, and other findings from an investigation by the Santa Rosa Police Department, Jan. 4. She has yet to rule on whether Dietrick, or Deputy Anthony Powers, his partner in the pursuit who attempted to use a less-lethal stun gun, broke any laws in the killing.

Prosecutors were “actively reviewing” evidence in the case, Assistant District Attorney Brian Staebell told The Press Democrat in an email Tuesday. The DA’s office tries to complete reviews of officer-involved shootings within 90 days but that time period is a guideline and the investigation could take longer, Staebell previously told The Press Democrat.

Based on drug levels in his blood at the time of death, the coroner described Pelaez-Chavez as undergoing “acute methamphetamine intoxication.” The diagnosis is not a surprise, an attorney for his family said. Camera footage from the two deputies who pursued Pelaez-Chavez showed him acting erratically and moving barefoot over forested hillsides and rocky streambeds.

“We didn’t know if this was a psychiatric break or drug abuse,” said Izaak Schwaiger, who represents Pelaez-Chavez’s relatives in a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office. “We knew he was in some kind of crisis and now we know what that was.”

Camera footage and audio files indicate the deputies considered it likely they were chasing someone who was mentally unstable for one reason or another, whether drugs or a psychiatric break. At one point in the videos, deputies ponder whether he is “51-50,” a police code for someone who can be involuntarily committed for being a danger to themselves or others.

For his part, Pelaez-Chavez yelled his fear in Spanish that the two men would kill him. Deputies’ attempts to reason with him were unsuccessful, and a language barrier is evident in the videos.

Sheriff’s officials declined to comment on the coroner’s findings while the DA’s criminal investigation remains underway. Powers and Dietrick both returned to their regular duties after an initial period of administrative leave that ended in early September, sheriff’s spokespersons said.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @AndrewGraham88