Elk Grove police release video of officers shooting at Rancho Cordova homicide suspect
The Elk Grove Police Department on Friday released video of three officers firing their guns at and wounding a man suspected of killing a Rancho Cordova woman.
Devian Lewis, 22, was taken into custody last week in Elk Grove after leading authorities in a vehicle chase that ended with the police shooting. He has been released from a hospital and booked at the Sacramento County Jail, where he was being held Friday without bail.
Lewis was identified as a suspect in the Feb. 1 fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Saraiah Acosta at a home in the 3000 block of Ramsgate Way in Rancho Cordova.
About 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 1, a witness reported a man stabbed the woman and ran her over with a vehicle, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Officers arrived at the Ramsgate Way home and found the woman suffering from multiple stab wounds. Medics with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District arrived shortly after and began to provide medical aid. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives were searching for Lewis when they learned hours later that the California Highway Patrol was pursuing him as he drove on Interstate 80 near Fairfield in Solano County. Sheriff’s officials, including the detectives and a K-9 Unit, joined the CHP in the pursuit as it continued through Sacramento south on Highway 99.
The Police Department on Friday afternoon released an edited video of the shooting, which includes footage from a dashboard camera and three body-worn cameras. Police said the information as it appears to be presented in the video, posted on YouTube, could change as the investigation into the shooting continues.
The dashboard camera video, which shows gunfire hitting Lewis’ car, has audio that is distorted that makes it difficult to hear the sound of gunfire or anything that is said. The audio on the body-worn camera video, however, is clear.
About 4:40 p.m., Elk Grove officers were notified of the sheriff’s pursuit of the homicide suspect. The chase exited Highway 99 at Cosumnes River Boulevard. The pursuit then entered the Elk Grove police jurisdiction, and officers joined the vehicle chase down Bruceville Road.
Video starts with police pursuit
The video footage starts with patrol vehicles chasing Lewis, who was driving a silver sedan with what appears to be a damaged rear fender dangling off the side of the car.
An officer had pulled over on the side of the road ahead of the pursuit. The officer got out of the patrol vehicle and placed a spike strip onto the right lane of street moments before Lewis drove by in a silver sedan. Lewis veered his car onto the left lane and avoided the spike strip, the video shows.
The chase continued through a busy road as the silver car weaved through traffic before it approached the intersection of Bruceville Road and Big Horn Boulevard. The video shows that the silver car then rear-ended a red pickup stopped at a red light next to a black BMW sedan. That’s where the police shooting occurred.
An officer used his patrol vehicle to pin Lewis’ silver sedan. As Lewis opened the driver-side door and began to get out, officers spotted him holding what appeared to be a firearm in his hand, according to the Police Department.
Three officers fired their department-issued guns at Lewis. The video shows the drivers of the pickup and the BMW moved their vehicles forward several feet, presumably to get away from the confrontation, as the officers started firing their guns.
The dashboard camera video shows several gunshots were fired at Lewis and into the silver car; gunfire shattered the rear driver-side window just before the front driver-side window was peppered with bullet holes.
Homicide suspect wounded in shooting
Moments after the gunfire started, Lewis crawled on his back into the front passenger seat and held his hands in the air appearing to surrender to police. The gunfire had stopped.
“Keep your hands up! Hands up,” one of the officers screamed at Lewis. The officers kept their guns pointed at the silver car.
Lewis — wounded by the gunfire — crawled out of the passenger-side window, police said. The officers then approached Lewis and took him into custody. Police said Lewis suffered two gunshot wounds.
“I just want to die,” Lewis said as officers and deputies provided medical aid at the scene until medics arrived. “Please finish me, please.”
The video shows authorities cutting Lewis’ T-shirt to treat his wounds.
“You’re not going to die,” one of the officials told Lewis. “Just keep breathing, man. Keep breathing, we got you.”
Authorities found a firearm in the front passenger seat of the silver car. After further inspection, investigators determined it was a replica firearm, police said.
Lewis faces felony charges of murder and driving in a reckless manner to evade police, along with a misdemeanor charge of brandishing an imitation firearm in a threatening manner, jail records show.
