Riverside County deputies went to a mental health call in Moreno Valley on Friday, August 7, 2026 with a clinical therapist, and a woman came out of the house and pointed a gun at them. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department released this Critical Incident Video with body-worn camera footage and surveillance video from a nearby residence. The account below is the department’s own.
At 4:10 p.m., deputies assigned to the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to the 11000 block of Via Hermosa regarding a subject experiencing a mental health crisis. Deputies, accompanied by a clinical therapist from the Community Behavioral Assessment Team, contacted the reporting party outside the residence.
The subject came out of the residence and pointed a firearm at deputies. Deputies gave commands to drop the weapon, she did not comply, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred. On the released body-worn audio, deputies then order her repeatedly not to reach for the gun, and shots are fired again.
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Deputies rendered medical aid until paramedics arrived. She was taken to a local hospital, where the department says she continues to recover. The department identified her as 32-year-old Esmeralda Aguilera Rangel of Moreno Valley. The weapon was a Walther .22 caliber pistol.
An investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office leads the investigation, aided by the Sheriff’s Force Investigations Detail. The department says it is an active and ongoing investigation and will also review the deputies’ actions internally.
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