After a suspect slowly complied to lower his weapon, a San Bernardino LEO shot the suspect five times, killing him. Now that officer is out of job and faces charges for his actions.
Recently released officer body cam footage shows the 2018 fatal shooting of Richard Sanchez. According to the video, the incident began when officers responded to a 911 call claiming Sanchez was intoxicated and threatening family members. Sanchez already had a felony warrant stemming from previous alleged terroristic threats.
Responding officers found Sanchez holding a gun. “They saw and heard Sanchez, who had his back to the front door and a gun in his right hand,” said Sgt. John Echevarria, according to cnn.com. “A woman was standing just a few feet away.”
The footage clearly shows Sanchez turn toward officers, switching a handgun from his right hand to his left. Officers repeatedly yell for him to drop the weapon.
San Bernardino LEO Shoots Suspect
He finally sets the gun down, then inexplicably begins walking toward the officers. The officers issue commands to put his hands up and stop moving. While Sanchez does put his hand up, he continues to advance on the officers. Finally, officer Brandon Gaddie fires five times on Sanchez.
Sanchez later died at an area hospital. Inside the house, officers recovered a .40-caliber handgun, reported cnn.com. The San Bernadino District Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting and will decide if Gaddie faces criminal charges.
“We’ve concluded that one of our officers’ decision-making did not meet the standards held by our department and the community we serve. As a result, he no longer works for the San Bernardino Police Department,” said Acting Chief of Police Eric McBride in the video.
“The use of deadly force is traumatic for all involved,” McBride continued. “Each encounter is unique and requires officers to make split-second decisions without the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.”
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