Officer returns amid inquiry

A Costa Mesa police officer who shot and killed one man and wounded another in a confrontation in Temecula last month is back on duty, officials said Friday.

Officials declined to identify the officer, but said he’s been back on duty since March 31, Sgt. Bryan Glass said.

The officer was on paid administrative leave for several weeks following a confrontation in Temecula on March 8. Riverside sheriff’s investigators continue to piece together the night’s events but said some things have become clear.

After some sort of argument inside the Bank of Mexican Food restaurant with a group of men, the off-duty officer went outside because he “didn’t feel well,” said investigator Jerry Franchville.

The men attacked the officer from behind, smashing a chair over his head and sending him to the ground with blood covering his face, Franchville said. He said witnesses told investigators the officer showed his badge and verbally identified himself as a cop. When the attack continued, the officer fired five shots, Franchville said.

Shaun Vilan, 30, and Taylor Willis, 22, were each hit twice. Vilan died later at the hospital, and Willis survived.

Last month, Vilan’s family acknowledged the argument inside the restaurant, but their account of what happened after that greatly differed. The officer was drunk and waited outside for them, family members said. After another confrontation outside, the officer pulled out his gun and started shooting, said Vilan’s brother, Michael Brooks.

The sheriff’s investigation is continuing, said Riverside Dist. Atty. spokeswoman Ingrid Wyatt. Prosecutors can’t decide who, if anyone, will be charged over the fight until the sheriff’s investigation is over, Wyatt said. Costa Mesa police are also waiting on sheriff’s investigators before conducting their own internal investigation, Glass said.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.