VISTA —— Tensions were high as about 300 people packed into the sweltering gymnasium at Lincoln Middle School on Wednesday evening to question authorities and voice their concerns about recent deputy-involved shootings in the city.

Sheriff Bill Kolender, Mayor Morris Vance, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and sheriff's Capt. Rob Ahern struggled against a loud and occasionally unruly crowd to discuss the three fatal shootings that occurred in Vista between July 28 and Aug. 1.

"I see tonight as just a monumental moment —— a healing process that has begun for all of us," Ahern said at the beginning of the community meeting. "We have to work together through it."

During what was supposed to be an open-question portion of the gathering, residents chastised the department for the shootings and accused deputies of other abuse and harassment while the panel remained silent, taking notes and looking grim.

Many of the questions and accusations revolved around the fact that all three men were Latinos and the sheriff's department has only 13 Spanish-speaking employees in Vista, a city that's more than 39 percent Latino.

Capt. Ahern said the department is actively seeking more bilingual deputies as well and volunteer citizen translators.

The panel said it was unable to discuss any specifics of the three shootings, but answered questions about topics including gangs, race and the investigations into the deaths.

Some community members demanded another meeting, one in which the residents come up with the rules for questions.

"There's a lot of innocent people here," one long-time Vista resident said passionately amid a cacophony of cheers and claps. "They're here for a reason; it's called justice."

The crowd responded by stomping their feet and changing "Justice" in Spanish. Several people held up signs with messages such as "Justice for all" and "Enough police arrogance," while others held up pictures of Jesus Manzo, the last man shot by deputies.

When asked if the department's goal was to kill all Latino gang members, Kolender said, "Our goal is not to kill anyone. And our goal is also not to be killed."

Out of eight deputy-involved shootings throughout the county this year, five of the six fatal incidents have been in Vista. All five of those victims have been Latino men.

"It seems like Latinos are becoming target practice," said Gilberto Flores, executive director of the Orange County chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Flores said he was at the meeting because there were few Latino advocacy groups in North County. "We're here to tell them that this is not going to fly," he said.

Deputies shot and killed Sergio Garcia Vaszquez, 32, July 28 after he allegedly threw a 10-pound weight at them while they were investigating a domestic disturbance at a duplex on North Citrus Avenue.

Jorge Ramirez, 26, was shot to death the following day after he reached into his clothing as deputies chased him as a suspect in an armed robbery committed earlier that night. Deputies thought Ramirez, a parolee named in Vista's gang injunction, might have a gun, but he only had a knife, Lt. Tom Bennett said.

A few days later, on Aug. 1, a deputy fatally shot Jesus Eduardo Manzo, 23, during a foot pursuit. Deputies contacted Manzo, a convicted vehicle burglar, during an investigation into a stolen vehicle, Capt. Clay Reynard said. Manzo was reaching toward his hip for what the officers thought might be a gun when he was shot at close range in the upper torso, Reynard said. The object on his hip was a multi-purpose tool, he said.

Dumanis said the district attorney's office will review each of the shootings to determine if there was any criminal liability.

"We don't shy away from prosecuting police officers," she told the crowd at Wednesday's meeting.

John Parker, executive officer of the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board, said last week that the shootings should compel the sheriff's department to closely review deputy training and the use of lethal force and to hire somebody to perform an outside audit. The board is an independent panel created by voters to review all deputy-involved shootings in the county.

Kolender decided against an audit, at least for now, saying he felt comfortable that the department could perform an accurate investigation. At the meeting, he said he would consider an outside audit after the department's investigations are complete, which could take months.

"It is my sincere desire to do everything possible to preserve the public's confidence and to successfully serve all of them," he said.

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 761-4414 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.