California Gov. Gavin Newsom overruled a decision by the California Board of Parole Hearings for an early release of a gang member who fatally shot a minister and seriously harmed a deputy in 1994.
Derek Eugene Pettis was convicted of first degree murder of 39-year-old Bruce Bryan, a volunteer chaplain, and of attempted premeditated murder for shooting Deputy Terrence Wenger, 31. After picking Pettis up after a drunken bar fight, Wenger decided to drive him home rather than arrest him.
"They took him home instead of taking him to jail, and that’s the hardest part to understand," Bryan's brother, Floyd Bryan, told Fox News Digital. "They dropped him off a block from where he lived, and when he got out he hit the deputy, grabbed his gun and shot him in the head."
Wenger was shot in the eye, though he survived. But Bryan was fatally shot in the back as he tried to run away.
In the early morning of June 18, 1994, while riding with Mr. Bryan, Deputy Wenger detained Pettis after he was reportedly involved in a disturbance. In an act of compassion, Deputy Wenger chose not to take Pettis to jail and instead drove him to a motel in the Wilmington area of the City of Los Angeles where he was staying.
After Deputy Wenger opened the rear door of his patrol car and let Pettis go, Pettis savagely attacked Deputy Wenger, knocking him to the ground. A witness said the deputy's head hit a curb and he became unconscious.
Pettis then removed Deputy Wenger's firearm and shot him in the face with the intention of killing him. Pettis then turned and fired several shots at the patrol car, where Mr. Bryan was seated in the front passenger seat. Moments later, Mr. Bryan emerged from the car and began running away. Pettis ran after Mr. Bryan and aimed the gun at him as Mr. Bryan pleaded for his life, saying: "Please don't shoot me! Please don't shoot me!" according to the testimony of a witness. Instead of showing mercy, Pettis fired several more shots, killing the volunteer chaplain who was wearing a jacket with the word "CLERGY" printed on the back.
At the time of his death, Mr. Bryan was engaged to be married. But none of that mattered to Pettis; all he cared about was eliminating a witness to what he thought was the murder of a sheriff's deputy. (Nathan Hochman letter to Newsom)
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California's Board of Parole Hearings granted Pettis, now 54, "youthful offender" parole in September, but as Fox News Digital reports, the hearing did not "involve any prosecutors due to a standing order from District Attorney George Gascon, who has banned members of his office from arguing against releasing murderers."
Newsom pointed to Pettis's history of violence and substance abuse in his written decision.
"When considered as a whole, I find the evidence shows that he currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time," the governor wrote. "Therefore, I reverse the decision to parole Mr. Pettis."
Nathan Hochman, who's running to replace Gascon as LA County District Attorney, praised Newsom's decision, which came after he sent the governor a letter on Oct. 5 asking him to deny the parole.
"I commend the governor for doing the right thing and standing up for the victims and their families," Hochman said. "This decision means that Derek Pettis is going to be where he belongs for at least two more years – in prison and away from the streets of Los Angeles County where he mercilessly preyed on his victims. Rest assured, when I am DA, prosecutors from my office will be at the 2025 parole hearing supporting the victims and their families, and protecting the public."
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