In 'Troubling' Video, Cops Kill Suspect With Arms Raised
SAN ANTONIO POLICE SAY THERE'S MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
By Arden Dier, Newser Staff
newser.com
Posted Sep 1, 2015 8:39 AM CDT
(NEWSER) – A disturbing video shot Friday in Texas appears to show the fatal police shooting of a suspect while his arms are raised in surrender. The KSAT video, which runs more than four minutes and was shot from a distance, shows two Bexar County Sheriff deputies, Greg Vasquez and Robert Sanchez, approach Gilbert Flores in a San Antonio neighborhood after a call about a domestic dispute. Around the one-minute mark, Flores raises his arms and the officers appear to fire at least two shots from about 10 yards away. Flores appears to slouch forward before falling to the ground. An officer approaches Flores' seemingly lifeless body 30 seconds later, grabs his arm, and drags him along the ground. An ambulance arrives just before the video ends. Police say they first tried to subdue Flores, 41, with a Taser and shield before shooting him, per the San Antonio Express-News. It isn't clear how many shots were fired or how many times Flores was hit.
Police say the 20-minute encounter began when officers visited a home in the area to find a bleeding woman with a cut on her head, holding a baby who may have been injured, per KSAT. They say Flores, who had a criminal record, was there holding a knife. "Certainly, what's in the video is a cause for concern," a sheriff tells the New York Daily News. "But it's important to let the investigation go through its course." A district attorney agrees the video is "troubling," telling KSAT, "There's actually another video with a better view that is very close." He adds, "There's a lot of information before, including 911 calls and information from different witnesses inside the house." On Facebook, Bexar County police slam KSAT for posting the video, calling the move "unethical and sad" and "sensational behavior," noting it has resulted in "physical threats toward our deputies." Vasquez and Sanchez are both on administrative leave. |
