“California DOJ criminalists are called upon, sometimes in the middle of the night, to assist with crime scenes and officer-involved shooting investigations. We very much appreciate their dedication to assisting law enforcement with these investigations by processing scenes and evidence.”
CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
BUTTE COUNTY – On March 3, 2025, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced that its office and the Butte County Officer-Involved Shooting Protocol Team are investigating the circumstances of a Chico Police shooting involving that of an attempt-murder suspect on March 2nd.
Michael Oxley, 43, of Chico, was shot by Chico Police SWAT members in the parking structure of an off-campus student housing building known as the Post on Nord, 1200 Nord Avenue, Chico.
According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, six members of the Chico Police SWAT team were involved in the shooting and are currently on administrative leave per standard protocol as the investigation proceeds.
The SWAT team had tracked Oxley to the housing complex as a result of his alleged shooting of George Ramirez III, 43, of Chico in the downtown Chico Farmer’s Market parking lot on Flume Street on February 28, 2025. Ramirez, a well-known barber in downtown Chico, had just gotten into his vehicle in the parking lot when a subject approached from behind the car and shot a handgun several times through the closed driver’s side window into Ramirez. Ramirez suffered shots to his head, neck, and shoulder and was life-flighted out of the area for extensive surgery and care. He remains in critical condition.
Chico Police worked through the night after the shooting to develop Oxley as a suspect and establish that he was living at The Post as an Airbnb resident, not a student. Police attempted to arrest Oxley as Oxley left the building around 6:00 p.m. on March 1, 2025. He evaded police by retreating back into the building and his apartment, which caused a lockdown of the residents in the complex. It is alleged Oxley eventually escaped to the parking structure where SWAT Team members contained him on a ramp between the fourth and fifth floors where he was seen crouching and holding a pistol with an extended magazine. A two-hour negotiation attempting to have Oxley surrender ended with Oxley allegedly standing and firing at officers. Officers returned fire resulting in Oxley’s death at approximately 12:30 a.m. Sunday, March 2, 2025.
According to the DA’s Office, the Protocol Team was called out immediately after the shooting. The team consists of experienced investigators from local and state law enforcement agencies in Butte County (other than Chico Police) with assistance from California Department of Justice criminalists.
