Arden-Arcade shooting video prompts questions over deputies' use of deadly force
One man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in the Arden area Sunday. Around 11 a.m., the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office says it received a call about a person asleep on the ground with a visible gun on his lap.
"The caller also reported that she believed it was the same man who shot at her and her boyfriend the previous night," said Ed Igoe, a sergeant with the Sheriff's Office.
"Gift shops, there's a barber shop, anything could've happened. I just don't know, maybe they could've done something different. But, they're scared too," said Eric Jones, a bystander.
The Sheriff's Office says when deputies arrived, they woke up the suspect from a distance using the horn of a patrol car. The Sheriff's Office says the suspect repeatedly failed to follow commands and that when he lowered his hands and started turning around, three deputies fired, ultimately killing him.
"I fully don't believe this man was aware he had a chance of being killed based on reaching to pull his pants up," said Justin Ward, managing attorney at the Ward Firm.
Justin Ward is a criminal defense attorney who watched the cellphone video and says it appears to show the suspect was pulling up his pants when deputies fired.
"I question whether or not the officers had a reasonable belief that their lives, or lives of anybody, were in danger based off this man's actions," he said.
Ward acknowledges the volatile nature of the job and the need to make split-second decisions.
"We have the benefit of looking at the video, playing it, pausing it," said Ward. "Understanding that, the officers still have a job, and if they're going to take someone's life, they need to be absolutely sure it is necessary to use deadly force."
Deputies say the suspect's loaded gun was recovered from the scene. His identity has not yet been released.
"This is obviously a worst-case scenario for everyone involved, the suspect, the deputies. Nobody ever wants to have to do this," said Sergeant Igoe.
Under Sheriff's Office policy, the three involved deputies will be placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. None of the deputies were hurt in the incident.
