Court testimony last week by former Chico police Sgt. Scott Ruppel uncovered a secret that city officials have tried their darnedest to keep the public from knowing: Ruppel took no time off from work after shooting Tyler Rushing twice at point-blank range in July 2017.
Rushing’s father, Scott Rushing of Ventura, called the revelation “monstrous, sickening, disturbing.”
“How can a mentally healthy human being kill another in a violent shooting one day, and the next day work your shift like the events of the prior evening were just another day at the office?” Scott Rushing said.
Based on Ruppel’s testimony, it’s not actually known on what day he returned to work, only that he missed no regular shifts. City officials have refused to divulge any information, although Police Chief Mike O’Brien announced two days after the Rushing shooting — which was on a Sunday in summer 2017 — that Ruppel was on paid administrative leave.