Body-Camera Evidence In Fatal San Jose Police Shooting Demonstrates What People See Can Still Be Divisive
SAN JOSE (KCBS)— As more police departments adopt body-worn cameras, many are finding they don't always produce clear-cut evidence in officer-involved shootings. One suspect's family is now seeking a civil lawsuit against campus police who were cleared in a recent fatal shooting near San Jose State University's campus.
The evidence from that shooting was recorded by the police's body cameras, but proved to be divisive. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office watched the video and saw a lawful police shooting. However, the family of Antonio Guzman Lopez didn't see it that way. They saw SJSU cops gunning down a man holding a tool, simply trying to walk away.
"When people reviewed that body camera , depending who looked at it; people saw very different things. So that suggests that body cameras in and of themselves are not going to be dispositive of how the case is going forward," said Legal Analyst and former Santa Clara County Prosecutor Steven Clark.
The case is now a federal civil lawsuit brought against the university by Lopez' family, including his wife.
The body-camera footage is not being released to the public because the district attorney's office said it does not release any evidence in uncharged cases. However, a few still images from the video were made public.
