The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office has determined that Redding Police were within the law when they shot a 48-year-old man in Northeast Redding in April. Donnell Lang was walking, as he often did, on the Lema Ranch trails and surrounding streets, apparently unaware that he was being watched by a man who was suspicious of him. The resident of Crestlake Drive called 9-1-1 to say he believed he saw the outline of a gun beneath Lang’s waistband. He kept watching Lang with binoculars and said he had a black object, at times in his hand and at times in his waistband. Corporal Rob Peterson found Lang and called for backup. When Officer Brett Leonard arrived they both confronted Lang on Hemingway Street. They ordered him to show his hands and lay on the ground. He was confused, looking around to see who the police were yelling at, but eventually he complied and laid down on his belly. Corporal Peterson grabbed Lang’s left hand and put him in a control hold as he prepared to handcuff him. Police say that before Lang could be handcuffed he rolled his body over, but did not stand up. Fearing he was going to pull out a gun, Corporal Peterson stepped back and Officer Leonard fired three rounds from an AR-15 rifle, striking Lang twice in the chest. No weapon was ever found to be associated with Lang. He had a key fob, keys and a bulky wallet, but that’s all. The area was repeatedly searched, including nearby ponds using K9s and divers, but nothing was found. The district attorney’s investigation has found that police had reason to view Lang as a threat, and were therefore justified in shooting him. Lang had lived in Redding for two years following his retirement from 17 years in the Navy. He had no criminal background and was committing no crime. No drugs or alcohol were in his system. Lang’s mother learned of her son’s death at around 9:30PM that evening when she got a phone call from Redding Police, who questioned her about Lang before delivering the bad news. She said he was never in any trouble, but suffered some residual PTSD from his lengthy service in the military. He had moved to Redding for some peace and quiet. In November Lang’s mother and brother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Redding.