Sacramento police released a cache of videos Monday, including from officer body-worn cameras and witness cell phones, following the shooting of 22-year-old Jeremy Southern.
The incident took place last week at The Crossings apartments on Ramona Avenue near Sacramento State. Police say they were following up on a gun being fired in the air at the complex a week earlier.
Officers encountered Southern, who was the suspect in the case, and tried to approach him. Southern then pulled out a handgun and began pointing it at officers.
Body cam footage shows officers confronting Southern, who stood in the courtyard of the complex. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, yelling, “Drop the gun Jeremy, it’s not worth it” and “we don’t want to shoot you.” There was at least one bystander near him.
About 3 minutes after police first encountered Southern in the courtyard, an officer shot him using a rifle.
Video from witnesses in the complex, also released Monday by police, shows Southern on the ground after being shot. He rolled over and then appeared to be crawling slowly in the direction of the gun on the ground, which appeared to be about eight-to-10 feet away.
An officer then shot him a second time.
Police administered medical aid at the scene; Southern later died at a local hospital.
Sacramento police are required to release body camera footage within 30 days of a shooting; the department released this footage less than a week after the incident.
“Our department is committed to transparency,” said Sgt. Sabrina Briggs in a video released with the body camera footage.
Tanya Faison with Black Lives Matter Sacramento criticized police response shortly after the shooting.
“When a cop takes it upon themselves to play the judge, the jury … and the executioner, without giving anybody their due process, then that’s a violation of that person’s rights,” she said in a video on Instagram.
The shooting has not sparked widespread protests in Sacramento, as was the case following the shooting of Stephon Clark. Last week, Black Lives Matter organized a vigil for Southern.
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