KCSO Releases Body Camera From Rosamond Deputy Shooting; Internal Review Finds Force Within Policy

KCSO releases the recorded encounter more than a month later

ROSAMOND, Calif. — The Kern County Sheriff’s Office released 911 audio and body-camera video Tuesday from an August 3 encounter in Rosamond that ended when Deputy Edward Morales shot 22-year-old Joshua Dribin.

KCSO said deputies were sent at approximately 5:30 p.m. to Desert Oasis Mobile Estates in the 3300 block of 15th Street West for a peace disturbance. BakersfieldNow reported that the released 911 call involved a complaint about a vehicle revving while Dribin was trying to sleep.

The agency previously promised a video presentation at the end of its investigation. Tuesday's release supplies new recorded evidence and KCSO's interpretation of it, but the public record still requires careful separation between what the recordings show, what the agency concluded and what remains for independent review.

Agency says video shows Dribin approaching with a sword

According to KCSO's presentation as described by BakersfieldNow, Dribin told the responding deputy he intended to kill another person, then approached while carrying a sword and tried to open the patrol vehicle door. The report says Dribin was heard asking the deputy to kill him before the shooting.

Deputies provided medical aid, and Dribin was taken by ambulance to a hospital with injuries KCSO described as not life-threatening. No deputy or additional civilian was injured, according to the agency.

Those facts come from the sheriff's office and its selected release. Readers should review the full sequence rather than a clipped excerpt, and the agency should preserve and disclose all relevant recordings, dispatch logs and evidence subject to lawful redactions.

KCSO's review board found the shooting within policy

KCSO said an Incident Review Board convened September 3 and determined that the use of force was within department policy. Morales had been placed on routine critical-incident leave while the investigation proceeded.

An internal policy finding answers whether the department believes its employee complied with agency rules. It does not substitute for the Kern County District Attorney's criminal review, resolve potential civil claims or amount to a court judgment.

KCSO says its homicide detectives investigate deadly force by department members and submit those cases to the District Attorney's Office. The reviewed reports do not say that prosecutors have completed their independent review or announced a charging decision concerning Morales.

Criminal allegations against Dribin are unresolved

Court-record reporting published August 6 listed Dribin on allegations including assault with a deadly weapon on an officer likely to cause great bodily injury, resisting or obstructing an executive officer, exhibiting a deadly weapon to resist arrest and resisting a peace officer.

The charges are allegations, not convictions. The same report said criminal proceedings were suspended after a judge ordered a competency evaluation and listed a September 10 return date. A competency proceeding addresses whether a defendant can understand the case and assist counsel; it does not determine guilt and should not be treated as a diagnosis based on public speculation.

The initial KCSO account described an attempted-murder arrest, while the later court-record report listed different filed allegations. The current charging document and court docket—not the initial arrest label—control what prosecutors are actually pursuing.

What the public still needs to know

Material unanswered questions include how many shots were fired, the distance between Dribin and Morales at each shot, whether any other camera captured the full encounter, the status of the District Attorney's review and whether Morales has returned to duty.

A transparent review should explain the timeline, identify the evidence considered by the board and distinguish tactical review from legal conclusions. Publishing a recording is important, but accountability also requires a complete record and a clear explanation of who made each finding.

What’s the Scoop With Broach will update this report if prosecutors announce an independent conclusion, the court changes the status of Dribin's case or KCSO releases additional material evidence.

About the image

The featured image is a 2007 locator map by Arkyan highlighting Rosamond within Kern County. It provides geographic context only and does not identify Desert Oasis Mobile Estates or depict Dribin, Morales, the sword, the shooting, medical aid or the investigation.

The map was created from U.S. Census Bureau geographic data and is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 through Wikimedia Commons. Its use does not imply endorsement by the creator, KCSO, the people involved or Wikimedia Commons.