A homeless Black man was shot and killed minutes after he was approached by sheriff’s deputies for allegedly jaywalking.
There is much current unrest in society regarding forceful race-related police interactions, in addition to public cries for defunding the police to ensure specially trained responders can assist in de-escalating situations where officers may have failed to receive specific instruction.
On September 23, around 1:00 pm, bystanders reported to the authorities that they saw a man as he wandered into the street while several cars were traveling on the road. The vehicles were reportedly forced to weave and use their horns to avoid running the man over.
When two deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department homeless outreach team arrived at the scene outside of the Hotel Miramar in San Clemente, they initiated contact with the man.
As seen in videos recorded by witnesses, the situation appeared to elevate quickly when the deputies spoke with the man, who appeared as if he was holding his hands up while continually asked the law enforcement agents why they kept touching him.
A few moments later, the deputies pummeled the man onto the sidewalk, and the trio began to wrestle.
While the grappling was ongoing, a recording implied that one of the deputies was heard yelling out that the man had gotten ahold of his gun, and two gunshots were reportedly fired by the second deputy.
The man, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, lay on the sidewalk after being shot, and the deputies started administering CPR until an ambulance arrived.
The man was pronounced deceased.
The entire encounter reportedly took place within three minutes.
The sheriff’s department has opened an investigation regarding the deadly use of force in the incident. While they have chosen to withhold the surveillance video they collected from a nearby security camera at this time, they have asserted that it was clear that the suspect grabbed the officer’s firearm before he was shot.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.