A Napa County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a robbery suspect April 24 in California. Officer dash cam footage shows the suspect get out of the vehicle holding a tactical shotgun, just before an officer opens fire, dropping the suspect. Watch the video above.
Napa County Sheriff’s Shoot Armed Suspect
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Brandan Reid Nylander, allegedly smashed a display case in an area Walmart. Nylander then stole ammunition before throwing a hammer at an employee, reported napavalleyregister.com.
Dash cam footage shows the responding officer pull over Nylander. Footage shows the suspect get out of the car, holding a loaded shotgun that he points toward the squad car momentarily. The video has no sound, but according to napavalleyregister.com, a responding officer reportedly then fires two shots, both missing the suspect. Nylander then appears to turn his back to officers, raising the shotgun. That’s when a responding officer also fires two more shots, with a fatal shot to the neck, reported napavalleyregister.com.
“This is a tragedy for all involved,” Sheriff John Robertson told napavalleyregister.com. “It’s a tragedy for Mr. Nylander and his family, and it’s a tragedy for Deputy Lee and his family.
But the optics of the shooting sparked some criticism. Sarena Nylander, the suspect’s aunt, posted on Facebook that Nylander struggled with mental health. She believed he meant to kill himself, reported napavalleyregister.com.
“That’s all there is to it,” she wrote, according to napavalleyregister.com. “It’s absolutely horrible and sad. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Just himself.”
“Had I been in the same situation on the same timeline, I would have taken the exact same action as Deputy Lee had taken,” Robertson said. “… Mr. Nylander, by his own action, was a threat to the deputies.”
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