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San Diego Guard Who Fatally Shot Fleeing Detainee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

Loaded on July 1, 2026 by Jo Ellen Nott published in Prison Legal News July, 2026, page 62
Filed under: Police Misconduct, Shootings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Police), Wrongful Use of Force. Location: California.

by Jo Ellen Knott

Former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy Aaron Russell was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on May 29, 2026, for the fatal shooting of an unarmed, mentally ill detainee, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

In March, a federal jury convicted Russell, 29, of deprivation of rights under color of law for killing 36-year-old Nicholas Bils outside the San Diego Central Jail, as PLN reported. The tragedy began on May 1, 2020, when Bils escaped a transport vehicle and was fleeing on foot after having been arrested for brandishing a golf club at a dog park. Russell unjustifiably fired four times, striking Bils in the back, arm and thigh. While three other guards pursued Bils without drawing weapons, Russell opened fire, falsely claiming he believed the victim’s dangling handcuff was a firearm. [See: PLN, April 2026, p. 62.]

At the time, Russell was 23 years old and had been with the sheriff’s department for only 18 months, a fact the defense used to explain the “terrible, split-second decision” while unsuccessfully arguing for a ten-year sentence.

In 2022, San Diego agreed to pay $8.2 million to Bils’ estate to settle wrongful death claims brought by two separate lawsuits. [See: PLN, Oct. 2022, p. 26.]  

 

Additional source: Times of San Diego

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