A group of protesters gathered in Phoenix on Sunday to demand that the city’s police department release the camera footage of the body of officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man who died while sitting in a parked vehicle on the fourth of July.
Video of the incident, which spread on social media over the weekend, showed a group of officers surrounding a sedan parked at the entrance of a house. Officers can be seen pointing guns at the driver’s side window when one yells, “Stop moving, I’ll shoot you.” Seconds later, several shots sound.
The clip sparked outrage within the Phoenix community. Phoenix City Councilman Carlos Garcia was one of many who denounced the use of force by officers and demanded an investigation into the shooting.
“We are not surprised that, despite all the scrutiny from the community, Phoenix PD continues to respond violently to calls. But, we should all continue to ask for transparency and accountability, “Garcia wrote in a Facebook post.
The protest group WE Rising Project organized a rally on Sunday night that included a march to the Phoenix Police Department Maryvale Estrella Mountain Precinct, The Arizona Republic reported. About 50 protesters were reportedly greeted by officers with riot gear as they approached the building.
The video showed protesters singing “Black Lives Matter” and “We don’t see any riot here! Why are you on riot gear? While the Phoenix police did not reveal the victim’s name, the protesters repeatedly invoked James’ name. García during the demonstration, noted the Republic.
“We are the ones who protect your rights,” Andrea Alvarado, a protester, told the crowd, the Republic reported. “The officers around us want to take away your rights. They kill innocent civilians as we protest for their lives. “
The Phoenix Police Department said in a statement Sunday that a shooting involving an officer occurred after a person who called 911 said a man who tried to kill him last week had returned with a knife and threatened to harm him again.
The department said the caller pinpointed the location of the suspected suspect after they arrived on the scene. Officers requested additional support before locating a man sitting in a car parked in the driveway of a home, the department added.
Officers are said to have told the man they were investigating an aggravated assault.
“As the conversation continued, officers instructed the man to get out of the vehicle. At this point, he refused, instead of raising the window and arming himself with a gun,” the department said, adding that the man began to “lift”. his weapon. “
The department said an officer broke a passenger window to try to distract the man after seeing him point his gun at a fellow officer. When that happened, two other officers shot at the vehicle, the department said.
The man was transported to a local hospital before being pronounced dead. No officer was injured during the incident.
Sgt. Spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department. Mercedes Fortune rejected claims that the suspect was unarmed.
“The suspect was not asleep in the vehicle, he armed himself, which is what prompted the officer involved to shoot,” Fortune said in an email to the Republic.
The incident came as law enforcement agencies across the country face increasing scrutiny in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death while in Minneapolis police custody. Floyd, 46, died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
His death has come under increased scrutiny in other police-related shootings, with protesters demanding greater police responsibility.
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