SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Police Department has released body camera footage from a fatal police shooting that happened outside of a church in the Stockton area on April 4.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, which investigates the use of lethal force by SDPD officers, Kevin Garcia Gonzalez was sitting inside a car in the 300 block of 31st St. when five officers and a sergeant shot him.
Police responded to the area of K and 31st streets a little after 10 a.m. on April 4 after a person reported seeing Gonzalez pointing a gun at someone from inside a Ford Fusion. Officers arriving on the scene found Gonzalez inside the car and the woman outside of it.
According to the video SDPD released Friday, officers gave commands to both of them to show their hands: The woman cooperated, while Gonzalez did not as he stayed in the car.
WARNING: This video is graphicin nature and not suitable for all viewers.
One of the officers spoke in Spanish to Gonzalez and told him to show his hands, and he would go between showing one hand, both hands or concealing both in the car, per SDPD.
The video states that as officers negotiated with Gonzalez for about 40 minutes, he told Spanish-speaking officers that he "didn't want to go back to jail and that officers would have to kill him."
When Gonzalez didn't cooperate, officers fired pepperballs inside his car.
The video then states that "Gonzalez lowered his body out of sight, raised it back up, and pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the officers. In response, five officers and one sergeant discharged their service weapons."
The video shows angles from multiple officers' cameras showing the apparent gun Gonzalez was holding.
The gun turned out to be a B.B. gun that resembled a revolver; the sheriff's office shared that information with the media the day of the shooting.
The following officers and sergeant fired their weapons at Gonzalez:
- Diego Arellanes
- Ruben Berton
- Fernando Fernandez
- Michael Hagen
- Zane Sisneros
- Sgt. Edward Laurendeau
The San Diego County District Attorney's Office will review the sheriff's office's investigation into this police shooting to see if the officers are criminally liable at all.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office will review the case as well.
Additionally, SDPD's Internal Affairs Unit will conduct its own investigation to see if there were any policy violations.
The Commission on Police Practices will also review the deadly police shooting and will provide any appropriate recommendations.
SDSO is the investigating entity because of the terms of a countywide agreement designed to prevent conflicts of interest.
