According to the Associated Press, Daverion Deauntre Kinard was an unarmed man. He was shot and killed by Southern California police in February while looking for a burglary suspect. His family asked not to release the body camera footage of the incident to the public. .
The city of Fontana, California settled a family lawsuit for US$1 million. News Enterprise First report. Kenard was killed on February 13, the day before his 29th birthday.
“The family acknowledges the public and media’s interest in obtaining and watching the video, but will thank the family for wanting the video to be kept confidential to protect Daverion’s dignity,” the family and the city government wrote in a joint statement.
The Fontana police released a video of the shooting, narrated by Sheriff Billy Green. Green said Keinard was sitting on a portable toilet with a “metal object” in his hand, and the police later learned that it was a lighter.
For more reports from the Associated Press, please see below.
Fontana City Police Department/Associated Press
State law requires law enforcement agencies to release footage of police shootings within 45 days. Fontana delayed the release due to ongoing investigations and other factors. News Enterprise Report. Green did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press on Friday.
According to city council documents, police officer Johnny Tuitavake, who was identified in the settlement, was sworn into the department in February 2019.This News Enterprise According to reports, he is still on duty.
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is still investigating the shooting to determine whether any criminal charges will be filed. The Fontana police is conducting an internal review to determine whether it has complied with departmental policies.
Fontana is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
In the video — including a 911 call about an ongoing home burglary — footage from the doorbell camera shows a man walking around the house, removing the screen from the window and moving it out of view.
The police said the man was Kinal, and he entered the house through the window. Policemen When I arrived, I found that the screen had been removed, and Kinal was seen inside.
He ran out from the back door, and the police followed him on foot and in a car and searched the area.
About 1,000 feet (305 meters) away from home, Tuitavake found a portable toilet, opened the door, and took the picture with a flashlight.
Police Chief Green said: “Because of the limited light in this situation, the video did not clearly show what the police officer saw.”
The video showed Keinard dressed in clothes, sitting on the toilet, with his arms folded on his knees. He seemed to wave to the police officer with his left hand. His palms were open and there was nothing in his hands.
Green said, and then Kenard “rolled” a metal object toward the officer with his right hand. Tuitavake closed the door of the mobile toilet and took out his gun. The police department showed this through video screenshots because it happened too fast to be seen in real-time video.
Tuitavake then reopened the door and fired a shot, killing Kinard.
Green said that from the first time Tuitavake opened the door to fire, the entire encounter time was 2.5 seconds.
“The thing in his hand is a lighter,” the director said.
