California Veteran Charged With Murder Acquitted by Jury

A California man who spent 24 years in the Air Force is a free man today
after a jury in San Bernardino County acquitted him of murder and
manslaughter charges. 

52-year-old Patrick Dull maintained all along that he was acting in
self-defense when he fatally shot 25-year-old Ryan Dazzi early one
morning last February, and it appears that the jury concurred after
deliberating the facts in the case. 

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 be unarmed, but Dull had no way of knowing that at
the time. All he knew is that an acquaintance was threatening him, and
had already caused damage to his home. Once Dazzi ran towards Dull, I
think it was reasonable to think that Dazzi intended to harm him, and
perhaps his family members too. 

According to the Daily Press, Dull’s trial lasted more than two months,
though it looks like the news of his acquittal was the only press
coverage that it received. I wish the paper’s report had detailed what
evidence the prosecution presented to support charging the veteran with
murder, because based on the sequence of events that was described I’m
confused about why Dull was ever charged to begin with. 

As his attorney noted, Dull was on his own property when he was
attacked, and though California’s Castle Doctrine only applies once
someone has entered a domicile (not merely stepping onto someone’s
property), the state’s common law also recognizes that there is no duty
to retreat when someone is threatened, so long as they have a legal
right to be there. 

Dull most certainly had the legal right to be on his own property, so
I’m wondering what led to police arresting him and prosecutors accusing
him of murder. 

Dull’s defense attorney did tell the Daily Press that he was “thankful
that the jury took into consideration [his] client's PTSD from his
military service, the effect it had, in him defending his home," so
there’s likely more to the story than what the paper presented. 

Regardless, a jury of Dull’s peers sat through a two-month trial and
then unanimously concluded that he was acting within his rights when he
shot Dazzi. They have access to far more information than I do, and I’m
going to assume that they made the right call when they acquitted him of
all charges. 

https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2026/04/24/california-veteran-charged-
with-murder-acquitted-by-jury-n1232336