In a video clip posted Tuesday evening on the Bravard County Sheriff’s Facebook page, Sheriff Van Iye said there was an investigation into a possible stolen vehicle, after deputies tried to stop the car last Friday.
The footage shows two marked sheriff’s cruisers following a car carrying teens to a residential neighborhood, as the driver retreats before he pulls into the driver’s way and confronts two deputies who draw their guns.
A deputy hears a deputy on my audio dio who commands the driver to stop at least eight times. No audio dio for the first 36 seconds of the video.
In a statement released with the video, Ivey said the driver “turned the vehicle around and accelerated” to the deputy, who “was then forced to fire with his service weapon in an attempt to prevent the car’s fatal threat from crashing into him.”
“You can actually see the vehicle’s tires change as the car accelerates,” Iway said, pointing to the deputy, who was “in immediate danger of colliding with the vehicle.” The sheriff said two firearms were found in the car. There were at least three occupants.
The teenagers killed were identified as 18-year-old Pierre, and 16-year-old Angelo Kums, who the sheriff said was the driver.
As of Tuesday, authorities had provided little details about the deaths of the two young men – in the midst of a national census of racial injustice in the United States, followed by police killings of other black men and women, such as George Floyd and Bra Bre Taylor in Minneapolis. Louisville, Kentucky, among others.
Videos, forensic evidence are part of the investigation
Benjamin Krump, a national civil rights lawyer representing Flood and Taylor’s families, announced Monday that he has been retained by the families of Coco teenagers and said he is a U.S. citizen. The Justice Department has asked for an investigation. CNN D.O.J. to comment on Crump’s request.
“It’s disturbing to us that this teenage driver and tin backset passengers panicked and pulled guns and walked around deputies approaching the vehicle,” Kramp said Wednesday. “Carrie cleared it and there was no danger, so the deputy continued firing,” the attorney said in a statement.
“Claiming that this deputy fired 10 shots to get himself out of harm’s way is a clear attempt to justify the killing of these teenagers,” Krump said.
“This shocking incident, which cost the lives of two black teenagers, documents the dangers of re-driving or even driving – as the deputy also shot and killed the passengers in the back seat.”
Krump demanded that the sheriff’s office release all footage related to the case, including dash surveys from other cruisers as well as neighborhood surveillance footage.
“These parents are heartbreaking, as any parent would be,” the attorney said in a statement before the video’s release. “They deserve full transparency and quick answers about who is responsible for the circumstances surrounding the death and their shooting.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said in a statement that it was reviewing the shooting and videos and forensic evidence. The agency was also awaiting the results of the autopsy.
“We continue to conduct interviews and look forward to completing the preliminary interview soon,” FDLA spokeswoman Jessica Carey said in a statement. “Once we have completed our investigative reports, we provide that information to the state attorney’s office fees and they determine whether a charge will be levied. The use of force by the FDLA’s investigating officer is limited.”
Said the sheriff’s office fee A iThe shooting took place around 10:30 a.m. Friday, the invitation statement said while deputies were investigating “a previous incident in which a vehicle fled trying to stop traffic.”
The injured teenagers were shifted from the scene to local hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
The deputies put on administrative leave
Ivy identified the deputies who responded Tuesday as Jafet Santiago-Miranda, who has been on the job since February 2017, and Carson Hendren, who has been with the sheriff’s office since June 2018. As per standard practice, the deputies were on administrative leave of return pending the outcome of the investigation.
Santiago-Miranda was the deputy who fired his service weapon at the car, Iway said.
The sheriff said the third person in the car “gave a full statement to the FDLE confirming that the occupants of the vehicle had listened to the deputy’s verbal commands and that Kurums had also turned and accelerated the vehicle.”
The FDLA said it had no additional comment Wednesday in response to the video’s release.
CNN, reached out to Braward County Frontal Order Police for comment.
In a request to remain calm, Ivy said the FDLE submits to the state attorney’s office fee for review within 90 days.
“I urge you to keep the family of the two young men in your thoughts and prayers, and also our deputies, as this incident of intensity affects everyone, including our entire community,” Ivey said in a statement.
‘Public outcry’
The statement said the state’s attorney will “determine whether there has been a criminal violation of Florida law, whether anyone can be held criminally liable and whether such criminal liability can be proved without reasonable doubt in a court of law.” ”
Coco Deputy Mayor Alex Goins said before the video was released that people in the community were demanding answers about the shooting.
“There’s an uproar among the people,” he said. “It’s unfortunate. These are kids. And I know they’re going to try to paint a picture of a bad past but these are kids (teenagers). What kind of past can they really be?”
“Get out of the car,” Leela told the station. “I said, ‘No, don’t kill him. Please don’t kill him. My baby is in that car. He just came here.’ It wasn’t there, but two minutes. Not even a good hot minute. ”
At the end of the deskam video, a woman’s cry can be heard.
CNN’s Mark Morales contributed to the story.
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