Meagan Hockaday
Birth date:
August 27, 1988
Death date:
March 28, 2015
Age at Death:
26
About
Ms. Hockaday was from Santa Barbara, CA. She attended Peabody Charter School where her kindergarten teacher read the class the story of Pollyanna. It became her favorite story and song, so much so that she arrived home that day and renamed herself Polly Wolly Doodle. Like her sister, Misha Charlton, Ms. Hockaday attended Santa Barbara Jr. High and Santa Barbara High School, "Home of the Dons" where they were both cheerleaders. Ms. Hockaday was the JV squad captain; she made history as she and her sister (the Varsity captain) were, for the first time in Santa Barbara High's history, two Black cheerleading captains at the same time. Ms. Charlton describes her sister as a fun-loving person who loved being in front of the camera. Ms. Hockaday was a stay-at-home mother who enjoyed the singing of Brenton Woods and the sensuous tunes of Selena. She loved to be around her daughters and family. Her sister describes her as kind of shy, keeping to herself.
Ms. Hockaday's fiance called 911 requesting Oxnard police officers to respond to a domestic dispute he was having with Ms. Hockaday. The first officer on scene heard screams coming from the apartment. Reports stated the officer made contact with the man near the front door and within seconds Ms. Hockaday came at them with a knife. The shooting took place in less 20 seconds from the time of the initial incident when the first officer initially made contact, Ms. Hockaday was pronounced dead at the scene. A knife was recovered near her body. The couple's three children witnessed the event.
Was justice served?
No. No report of de-escalation measures were used by responding officers. The Ventura county district attorney said the shooting was justifiable.