A former Los Angeles police officer pleaded not guilty Friday to fatally shooting a man outside a downtown Pomona bar earlier this year.

Henry Solis, 27, has been charged with murder, assault with a firearm and an allegation that he fired a gun in the March 13 killing of Salome Rodriguez Jr., the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said. He is being held in lieu of $10-million bail.

Authorities allege Solis shot and killed Rodriguez after a fight at a bar. Solis, who was off-duty at the time, allegedly chased the 23-year-old truck driver outside and then shot him multiple times.

The rookie officer didn’t show up for work the next day, LAPD officials said. That night, Pomona police publicly identified him as a person of interest in the killing, circulating a flier with his photo and information about his missing car.


LAPD Chief Charlie Beck moved quickly to fire the rookie officer, a former Marine who had spent nine months with the LAPD.

Authorities allege that Solis ditched the Volkswagen Jetta not far from the scene of the shooting and called his father for help. Victor Solis drove with his son 800 miles to El Paso, where he told investigators he dropped the younger Solis off at a bus stop, according to court records.

But surveillance footage showed Victor Solis walking with his son across the border into Mexico, authorities said. The father was later arrested and convicted of lying to federal investigators in an attempt to help hide his son. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 20.

Solis spent nearly two months hiding out in Juarez, a border city across the Rio Grande from El Paso. An FBI special agent said Solis grew a beard, avoided cellphones and social media, and was shuttled by relatives from home to home in an effort to avoid authorities.


He was apprehended May 26. If convicted of the charges, prosecutors said, he faces life in prison.

Follow @katemather for more LAPD news.

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