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Police Support Peaceful Demonstration After Shooting

The tragic events of April 12th weigh heavy on everyone's mind. The Han Family, the officers and the neighborhood are all impacted.

"Friends and family have notified us of their intent to assemble for peaceful demonstration today and we not only respect, but will protect their rights to assemble and make public their concerns," said Sergeant Rick Hillman, Folsom Police spokesperson. "We fully understand that Joseph's family and friends may have questions and concerns about the circumstances surrounding his death.

"We have reached out to the family and the Asian Pacific community to keep open the lines of communication while the investigations proceed. We will continue to make ourselves available to the family through their attorney."

There are four separate investigations currently underway including criminal and administrative investigations conducted by the Folsom Police Department, the Sacramento County District Attorney's review and the Sacramento County Coroner's investigation.

The criminal investigation was submitted to the District Attorney's office for review on May 1st. The investigation identified the two officers involved in the shooting as Officer Paul Barber, 32, a 7 year law enforcement officer; and Sergeant Ron Peterson 57, a 27 year law enforcement veteran.

Although the criminal investigation has been submitted to the District Attorney's office, it is still an active investigation and therefore the Police Department is unable to release it to the public. The remaining investigations (three of them), have yet to be completed.

"We are cautious not rush to conclusion nor prematurely end our investigations," said Sergeant Hillman. "Once complete, the culmination of the four investigations will provide insight into the unusual circumstances that led up to this event. Our hearts go out to the Han family; I can only imagine their grief in this tragic loss. I am hopeful we'll come to understand what created the unexplainable behavior that the Han Family has reported as not being consistent with the son they knew."