Cellphone video shows police fatally shooting unarmed 19-year-old Fresno man
Video of the shooting at the link.
Forgive me if this story was already published, with all the stories on police shootings, sadly it's hard to tell if it's a duplicate.
Cellphone video shows police officers shooting an unarmed 19-year-old Fresno man lying on the ground at a gas station last month.
The video, obtained by the Fresno Bee, shows Dylan Noble lying on the ground on June 25 as two officers with their guns drawn stand feet away from him. As officers yell, Keep your hands up, and other commands, one shot is fired. Seconds later, a third officer approaches the pair, and another shot rings out. At one point during the video, Noble can be seen raising his arm and saying, Ive been shot.
The witness video does not show the moments just before the fatal shooting. According to the newspaper, two shots already had been fired at Noble before the recording began.
The shooting has sparked an online petition demanding that the Fresno Police Department release body camera footage of the incident. The shooting comes amid national outrage over the number of shootings by police involving black men. In this case, Noble was white.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer told The Times that body camera footage would not be released because the investigation is ongoing.
Dyer said Noble twice raised his shirt with his left hand and used his right hand to reach under his shirt into his waistband. The officers, he said, feared for their lives.
Officers warned Noble not to reach into his waistband because they believed he was trying to retrieve a firearm, Dyer said.
Thats when an officer fired two shots with his handgun. Those shots, he said, are not depicted in the witness video. The officer then fired another shot. A second officer delivered the fourth and final shot, firing one round from a shotgun.
The video, Dyer said, doesnt tell the whole story of the shooting, which lasted about 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
The officers body cameras will show exactly what happened, since they were standing 12 to 15 feet away, he said.
The department will review the officers actions to determine why they fired at Noble while he was on the ground and if there were other options, he said. Officers have to make split-second decisions, he noted.
There is going to be questions, he said.
The FBI and the U.S. attorney generals office have agreed to investigate the shooting and will have access to all evidence, Dyer said. The chief said he didnt want the public to think the police department isnt fair and objective in its handling of the investigation and that FBI oversight would provide more transparency.
The request came after Dyer said he learned Noble was unarmed and noticed the communitys perception of the shooting was unfavorable.
According to the police department, officers responded to a report of a man walking with a rifle about 3:20 p.m. and observed a black pickup speeding as they searched the area. They tried to stop the truck, but it continued traveling for half a mile. The truck eventually pulled into a Chevron gas station, police said.
Lt. Burke Farrah said Noble refused to show his hands and tried to conceal one hand behind his back, then in his waistband. Noble, he said, got out of his truck.
Officers repeatedly ordered Noble to show his hands and get on the ground. Thats when Noble turned toward the officers with one hand still behind his back, telling them that he hated his life, Farrah said. Police said Noble advanced toward officers, who then fired four shots. Farrah told The Times that Noble did not have a weapon.
Noble was taken to an area hospital and died during surgery.
Video of the shooting at the link.
Forgive me if this story was already published, with all the stories on police shootings, sadly it's hard to tell if it's a duplicate.