Report: Police fired too much during robbery

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — A new report says the 600 shots police fired at the chaotic end to a California bank robbery that left a hostage dead were excessive and unnecessary, with some officers only firing their weapons because other officers were shooting.

The report by the nonprofit Police Foundation also found some Stockton police officers opened fire with their colleagues standing right in front of them. The report said a lack of planning was partly to blame for the unnecessary shooting.

“In reviewing dispatch tapes and in response to interviews, the review team determined there was no planned response for when the suspect vehicle stopped,” the report concluded.

The lack of planning, “along with the number of officers involved, created a level of chaos that was difficult to manage and overcome,” the report continued.

The July 2014 shootout left two of the suspects and a hostage, Misty Holt-Singh, dead. Police have said Holt-Singh, 41, was struck by 10 of the bullets officers fired as she was used as a human shield by the sole surviving suspect, Jaime Ramos.

The three suspects, armed with handguns and an AK-47, robbed a Bank of the West branch on July 16 and took three women hostage before fleeing in a bank employee’s SUV.