Modesto police shares body camera video of shooting that left suspect dead, business riddled with bullets
The Modesto Police Department on Thursday shared a report and officer-worn body camera footage of a March police shooting that left one man dead and a business riddled with bullet holes.According to Modesto Police Chief Brandon Gillespie, on March 17, just before 12:30 p.m., an anonymous caller reported seeing Jimmy Rupe at Max Muscle at 3250 Dale Road, knowing the man had an outstanding warrant.Rupe had warrants for weapons violations and lewd acts with a child.Officers arrived at the Max Muscle around 1:08 p.m. Gillespie said Rupe saw the officers approaching and quickly walked to the back of the business. The owner confirmed to officers that Rupe was there, but expressed concerns about Rupe possibly being armed. The owner offered to intervene, but officers encouraged him to leave so they could handle it. "What we're hoping is to get him into custody safely," an officer can be heard telling the business owner over body-camera video."I just don't want anybody hurt or anybody to get f------ shot," the owner responds.KCRA 3 spoke with the owner, Brian Sherwood, in the days following the shooting. He shared his attempt to intervene with Reporter Anahita Jafary. Read more here. Due to the concern of Rupe being armed, the officers cleared the store of customers and brought out a ballistic shield for protection. Once the store was cleared of bystanders, the business owner called Rupe, advising him that officers were on scene. Rupe hung up.Gillespie said Rupe then called and left a voicemail for his father, saying he did not do what he was accused of, but he wasn't going to let the police take him. He then called the business owner back to say he was not coming out. Gillespie said at that point, a crisis negotiator was requested to the scene. The business owner can again be heard on body camera video, expressing concern for people's safety in a neighboring business.The officers then retreat to outside the front of the business. Shortly after that is when Gillespie said Rupe opened fire on the officers.The first shots fired by Rupe occurred at 1:41 p.m., Gillespie said. While officers were preparing for any eventuality, one body camera perspective showed that Rupe's first shot rang out suddenly, and an officer can be seen flinching away from the close gunfire.Rupe's gunfire prompted officers to fire back a total of 52 rounds, Gillespie said. The final shot rang out at 1:50 p.m., meaning the shootout lasted for nine minutes.Rupe cannot be seen on the body camera video shared by Modesto police. However, the gunshots and the officers' reactions to Rupe's movements are apparent.At one point, Rupe goes to the ground, but officers can be heard continuing to order him to raise his hands. "I think he's reaching for his waistband," one officer can be heard saying. A couple of minutes later, officers can be heard saying Rupe was getting up and grabbing for his gun again. A few more shots ring out.The officers bring in a few more ballistic shields and move forward to try to get to Rupe. When Rupe appears to stop moving on the ground, a K9 is deployed. When Rupe still wasn't moving after the K9 deployed, officers moved in, detained him and began administering medical aid, Gillespie said. On the body camera video, Rupe can be seen lying on the ground with multiple wounds. Officers can be heard saying he was still breathing. Rupe was taken to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries. Gillespie said an illegal 9 mm handgun with no serial number was found next to Rupe with a spare magazine. Three expended casings were also found near Rupe.Gillespie said four officers fired their weapons, including Sgt. Yair Oaxaca, a 21-year veteran officer, Officer Eric Garcia Martinez, a nine-year veteran, Officer Jacob Christopher, who had been with the department for one year, and Officer Christian Morones, who had been with the department for less than a year.No officers were injured in the shootout."We recognize that incidents like this are tragic and deeply impactful for everyone involved—our officers, the families and our community," Gillespie said. "I'm incredibly grateful that none of our officers were injured during this brazen attack."Gillespie said the Modesto Police Department is conducting a criminal and internal administrative investigation of the shooting, while the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office is conducting an independent review of the shooting. The multiple investigations are standard practice for officer-involved shootings, the police chief said.Gillespie did not address the damage to the store. The business owner of Max Muscle showed KCRA 3 the extent of the damage the day after the shooting. Multiple walls, products and equipment were hit by gunfire. See the extent of the damage to the business in the video belowSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
