Video shows California police fatally shooting teenager who was reported kidnapped

Source: The Guardian

Video shows California police fatally shooting teenager who was reported kidnapped

Revealed: Savannah Graziano, 15, shot by sheriff’s deputies in 2022 while unarmed and following instructions to move toward them

Sam Levin and Joey Scott in Los Angeles
Mon 1 Apr 2024 22.02 BST
First published on Mon 1 Apr 2024 20.31 BST

Newly released law enforcement footage captures the moment California police fatally shot an unarmed 15-year-old girl who was a reported kidnapping victim.

On 27 September 2022, San Bernardino county sheriff’s deputies were searching for Savannah Graziano, who was feared abducted by her father Anthony Graziano after he had fatally shot her mother the day before.

Deputies cornered Anthony Graziano’s vehicle on the side of a freeway in Hesperia, 80 miles east of Los Angeles. When Savannah exited the vehicle, they opened fire and killed her. The shooting sparked national concern, with critics questioning how officers wound up killing the teenage girl they were tasked with rescuing.

Sheriff’s officials claimed following the shooting that it was unclear whether Savannah was shot by deputies or her father, and they said deputies didn’t realize it was her when she got out of the car. For nearly two years, they refused to release footage of the shooting.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/01/california-police-video-shooting-15-year-old-girl-savannah-graziano