By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A federal jury convicted former San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Richard Russell of violating a man’s civil rights in a 2020 fatal shooting.
• Prosecutors said Russell shot Nicholas Bils, an unarmed man who was fleeing custody outside the San Diego Central Jail, multiple times, including in the back.
• The conviction followed a retrial after a previous federal jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
• Russell was found guilty of deprivation of rights under color of law and discharging a firearm during a violent crime.
• Sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2026, and he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
SAN DIEGO, CA — A federal jury has convicted a former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy of violating a man’s civil rights in connection with a 2020 fatal shooting outside the San Diego Central Jail, federal prosecutors said.
Nelvin C. Cepeda /TNS
The jury found Aaron Richard Russell, 29, guilty of deprivation of rights under color of law and of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence for the May 1, 2020, shooting of Nicholas Bils, who was unarmed and fleeing custody at the time of the incident.
According to evidence presented at trial, Bils had been arrested by California State Parks officers and was being transported to jail when he escaped from a patrol vehicle and ran. Russell pursued him and fired several shots, striking Bils multiple times, including at least one shot to the back.
The conviction followed Russell’s second federal trial after a previous jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a mistrial.
Russell is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2026, before a U.S. District Court judge. Federal prosecutors said the conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a potential maximum penalty of life in prison.