A man sitting in his car was fatally shot by Phoenix police who said they were responding to a 911 call report of aggravated assault, and the incident has sparked protests, the New York Times reported.
James Porter Garcia, 28, was sitting in his car when Phoenix police approached the vehicle with their guns drawn, video recorded by bystanders shows, the Times reported. Officers opened fire on Garcia who was pronounced dead at the hospital, the incident occurred over the weekend and has led to citywide protests, the Times reported.
“They put the gun on his head like this and they’re still telling him not to move, to get his hand off a gun he don’t have and then they shot him again,” Garcia’s friend, Steven Merry said, the Times reported.
Officers spoke with Garcia for around 10 minutes before he reportedly asked to be shot, according to Department Spokeswoman Sgt. Mercedes Fortune, the Times reported.
Garcia “refused to drop the gun and lifted it toward officers,” Fortune told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an email.
The only video released by the department shows a handgun recovered from Garcia’s vehicle, the Times reported. The video was taken from the body camera worn by an officer who arrived after Garcia was shot.
Fortune said releasing the body camera video from the two officers who shot Garcia would jeopardize the investigation, the Times reported.
“What we want is the whole footage. Every single body camera. Every single cop who showed up. Everything from when they were driving to when they got there to when they killed him,” the director of a local activist group called Poder in Action, Viri Hernandez, said, according to the Times.
Protests started Sunday night with a group marching to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain police station where they were met by officers armed with riot gear, the Times reported. (RELATED: Widow Of Rayshard Brooks Asks Protesters To Remain Peaceful)
“It does not shock us that despite all the scrutiny from community Phoenix PD continues to respond violently to calls. But, we must all continue to ask for transparency and accountability,” Phoenix City council member Carlos Garcia said on Facebook.
“The department also issued a premature statement leaving out facts about the case. We cannot allow for dishonest narratives to be built by violent departments. We will continue to call for independent investigations into officer involved shootings,” the council member added.
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