On June 30, 2010, a man I was fortunate enough to have known for a short while was fatally shot and killed by the Brea Police Department in Orange County, CA. His name was Julian “Jules” Stanley Collender and he was 25 years old. I am writing to ask that you help me bring justice to Julian by signing the e-petition that can be found on http://justiceforjulian.com for a thorough, unbiased investigation in hopes that it will provide details of this tragic event.
...details provided after the jump
...details provided after the jump
The details of what happened to Julian can be found on the aforementioned site and can be searched via Google and our local news outlet, particularly the Orange County Register. The quick synopsis is this:
Three individuals were robbed at gunpoint at a nearby shopping center in Yorba Linda, Ca. When these individuals filed the police report, one of the individuals believed that Julian was one of the gunmen, thereby giving the officers at the Brea Police Department enough reason to go to his parents’ home to wait for Julian to return. Julian arrived home at approximately 12:25 AM and was pulled over by one of the police cars. This is where the details get hazy; moments after Julian exited his vehicle he was shot in the stomach by a high power assault rifle. Julian was alone and unarmed when he was shot. He later died at Kaiser Permanente Hospital, the same hospital where he was born. The next day or sometime after the ordeal, the police later found evidence including a handgun that matched the description of what the three individuals described was used during the robbery inside Julian’s parents’ home.
Perhaps Julian made a move that was deemed threatening to the officer who shot him, or perhaps he wasn’t sure which order to follow (I am assuming the scene was chaotic). The truth is, I really do not know. I just know that Julian didn’t deserve to die – not like this. I will be completely honest with you, in fact, this is my plea to you – we live in a country where everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty and is allowed to a trial by a jury of our peers. Julian DID NOT HAVE THAT CHANCE and he never will. Even if Julian committed this crime, the bottom line is that Julian did NOT have to die – this event could have been avoided and if the Brea Police Department did do something wrong, then they MUST be held accountable for it. This is why I need you to help by signing this petition; the Orange County District Attorney’s office needs to understand that we need answers – his family, friends, and the citizens of Orange County need to know the truth.
I sincerely thank you all for your time in reading this rather long letter. Even if you choose not to sign the petition and you’ve gotten this far in my letter, then I know it was still well worth sharing my story with you. If there is anything that we can learn from this tragic event, it is that we simply cannot take for granted the time we have with those who have made an impact on our lives, no matter how big or small.
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