Graphic: Napa sheriff releases video of fatal shooting
Napa County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday released bodycam footage showing the fatal shooting of a man during a traffic stop.
Sheriff’s Sgt. David Ackman pulled over Juan Adrian Garcia near Kaiser Road and Highway 221 in Napa around 10 p.m. on October 5, 2020. Garcia was driving with his headlights off, the sheriff’s office said.
Garcia tossed a cellphone from the driver’s side window and exited his car without being told to, the sheriff’s office said. The footage (see above) shows Garcia being shot several times after he approaches Ackerman with one hand tucked behind his back.
Deputies said Garcia refused to comply when asked to show his hands.
“Ackman attempted to de-escalate the situation as he retreated and repeatedly asked Mr Garcia to stop and show his hands, however Mr Garcia refused to comply,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
“When Mr Garcia got within close range, Sergeant Ackman fired his weapon six times, hitting Mr Garcia five times in the torso and once in the leg,” the sheriff’s office said.
It was later determined Garcia was not carrying any weapons, the sheriff’s office said.
Medical records showed Garcia had a blood alcohol level of 0.338, CBS San Francisco reported.
“The training of the Napa County Sheriff’s Department when we are by ourselves and faced with a deadly threat, and Sergeant Ackman believes he was faced with a deadly threat, is that we were going to meet that threat with our own lethal force,” Capt. Cullen Dodd said at a press briefing, according to the Bay Area television news network. “At no time did Sergeant Ackman believe Mr. Garcia did not have a deadly threat. A Taser is not the right tool to bring to a situation where he believes his own life is in danger.”
Garcia died in hospital the night after the shooting.
Ackman has been placed on administrative leave.
Storyful contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 8:50 AM.
