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AW1Ed | April 26, 2026 | 3 Comments

Barstow veteran acquitted of murder, manslaughter in fatal shooting

Brian Day
A jury acquitted a Barstow military veteran of murder and manslaughter Wednesday following the fatal shooting of another man two years ago, records show.

Patrick Dull, 52, was found not guilty of both charges in the Victorville branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court on April 22, according to court records and documents.

Close up of a gavel set with background of blurred image scales of justice.
The case stemmed from the shooting death of 25-year-old Ryan Dazzi of Barstow on Feb. 9, 2024, in the 1200 block of Joshua Tree Drive.

The two men became involved in a verbal argument, which escalated into gunfire, Barstow Police Department officials said at the time.

Officers and paramedics arrived to find Dazzi lying wounded near the front door of a home, suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, officials said. He later died from his injuries at a hospital.

Dull was identified as a suspect and arrested by Barstow police.

The defense presented an argument of self-defense.

Dull and Dazzi were acquainted with one another through family friendships, according to defense attorney James McGee, who represented Dull.

On the night of the shooting, Dazzi showed up at Dull’s home twice, he said. On the first visit, at 1 a.m., Dazzi threw a rock through the window of the house. Dull was not home at the time, although family members were. It was not clear why Dazzi was angry with him.

Dazzi returned to the home about 2:15 a.m., after Dull had returned home and was boarding up the broken window, according to the defense.

Dazzi approached Dull from behind, made threatening statements and then charged toward Dull on the front porch of Dull’s home, the attorney said. Dull fired a single shot, striking Dazzi, then reported the shooting to police.

Dazzi was found to have been unarmed.

McGee said the shooting was done in self-defense and defense of family, while Dull was on his own property.