Sacramento police shot and killed a man at a student apartment complex near Sacramento State on Tuesday.
Police have not released the man’s name, but Black Lives Matter Sacramento identified him as 22-year-old Jeremy Southern. He died after being transported to a local hospital.
The department has not released the names of any officers involved in the shooting, but said they are on paid administrative leave as it investigates the incident.
According to a press release, police arrived at The Crossings apartments on Ramona Avenue to investigate an area shooting that occurred last week. The department says officers identified Southern as a potential suspect at the complex and approached him; the man then pulled a handgun out of a bag and began pointing it at officers.
One resident at The Crossings, who declined to provide her name, told CapRadio she heard officers in the courtyard shouting: “Drop the gun.” She then heard multiple gunshots.
The department says it will release body-worn camera footage of the incident within 30 days, as required by law. CapRadio has filed a public records request for the footage and 911 calls related to the shooting.
A purported video of the incident posted by Black Lives Matter Sacramento, which appears to have been edited or has gaps in the footage, shows a man on the ground outside of an apartment building. A woman off-camera says, “They just shot him.”
The video then cuts to a man slowly crawling on the ground toward an object about 10 feet away, which appears to be a gun. A second shot is heard and the man collapses.
Tonya Faison with Black Lives Sacramento criticized the level of force used by police.
“No matter what he did, he didn’t get his due process,” she said in a video on Instagram. “Just like so many other Black folks that get killed by police.”
She added: “Sometimes when they’re innocent, and sometimes when they’re not. But guilt does not determine whether or not someone should die.”
Black Lives Matter will hold a vigil Thursday evening at Elk Grove Regional Park.
A spokesperson for Sacramento police declined an interview request.
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