An Orange County Sheriff's Department deputy has been charged with voluntary manslaughter for [fatally shooting her fiancée](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/orange-county-employee-fatally-shot-by-off-duty-sheriffs-deputy-investigators-say/) at their Tustin apartment last year, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
The incident happened back on Aug. 8, 2025 at around 5: 20 a.m. at the Axion Tustin apartments, Tustin Police Department officers said at the time.
In a news release, Orange County prosecutors say that 35-year-old Brittany Shaw had left the studio apartment she shared with 28-year-old Aimee Alexis Hidalgo, a Tustin resident and Orange County sheriff's deputy, for an early morning walk with her dog and returned about ten minutes later.
"Seconds after Shaw returned to the apartment, Hidalgo is accused of shooting her fiancée nine times," the DA's Office release said. "Shaw was shot in the torso, right arm, and in the head, a shot which according to the coroner's report was at 'close intermediate range' discharged less than eight inches from the victims' head."
Hidalgo, a five-year OCSD veteran, then called 911 and gave Shaw CPR, but she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, prosecutors said.
In the days after the shooting, Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner told CBS LA that Hidalgo "was afraid of an intruder, thought there was an intruder," and shot Shaw.
Months after the investigation began, Hidalgo turned herself in to Tustin police on Monday after she was charged with one felony count of manslaughter and one felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm.
Prosecutors say that the couple was planning a destination wedding in Mexico in Nov. 25.
"Human life is our most precious gift, and to lose the gift of life in your own home at the hands of someone you were engaged to is an indescribable tragedy," said a statement from Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason, to ensure justice is carried out without bias or prejudice, regardless of who is the accused. The badge is not a shield from prosecution; rather it is a symbol of the oath a sworn officer takes to uphold the law, on and off duty. When that oath is broken, the law applies equally to those with and without a badge and our duty to pursue justice for Brittany and all of those who loved her will be pursued in a court of law."
If convicted as charged, Hidalgo faces a maximum sentence of 21 years in state prison. She remains on administrative leave from the sheriff's department, where she was assigned to the Orange County Jail.
Shaw worked with the Orange County Health Care Agency for nearly six years before her killing, according to a statement that was shared with other employees at the time of the shooting.
"For over six years, Brittany Shaw has supported and cared for our populations at the Intake Release Center (IRC)," the statement said. "Her loss will be felt deeply by those who knew her throughout all levels of the HCA and the County family."