Sacramento police release body cam footage from shooting of man armed with a sword
Body-worn camera footage released by the Sacramento Police Department on Sunday shows the moments that led to officers shooting a man wielding a sword earlier this month. On July 14, a dispatch call was received around 1:30 a.m. from a man who said he had a sword and intended to kill his friend. Police said that upon arrival, officers found a man holding the sword outside his home, located in the 3100 block of Occidental Drive, and attempted to convince him to drop it. The officers, including crisis negotiators, tried to deescalate the situation for 30 minutes, police said.The man refused to drop the sword and then moved toward the officers. That's when one officer shot him, the police department said. Police said they also deployed less-lethal munitions.Sacramento police posted a 13-minute narrated video on YouTube Sunday about the shooting that includes body-worn camera footage, emergency dispatch audio and video from a California Highway Patrol helicopter.The video begins with a narration from Sgt. Dan Wiseman with the Sacramento Police Department quickly recapping what led to the shooting. That is followed with audio of the initial dispatch call. During the call, the man, who later identified himself as "Fred", said "I'm trying to kill my friend" multiple times and later said "I don't want him around anymore." The narrated video later shows body-worn video from an officer that responded to Fred's residence on Occidental drive as police tried to get him to drop his sword. He can be heard throughout the video expressing that he wanted to take his own life. While an officer was trying to de-escalate the situation, you can hear Fred saying "I tried" multiple times and then saying "Eenie, meenie, miney, moe" before approaching officers with the sword in hand. The video released Sunday shows multiple angles of Fred being shot from the perspective of different officers. Some of the shots were lethal and others nonlethal, according to police.The video shows Fred dropping to the ground after being shot and surrounded by officers. He received medical attention at the scene immediately after the shooting. According to police, he was taken to a hospital in the area and is still in critical condition. If he survives he will be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and for resisting arrest. See 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
