Newly released footage shows the moment in which an unarmed 15-year-old kidnapping victim was gunned down by police in California in September 2022, ABC7.com reports.
Savannah Graziano was seen slowly approaching police after being ordered to get out of the vehicle driven by her father, Anthony John Graziano, 45, one day after she witnessed him murder her mother, Tracy Martinez, outside a school in Fontana. An AMBER Alert was issued for Savannah on September 27, 2022, as she was suspected to have been kidnapped by her father at the time.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spotted a truck driven by Anthony, which resulted in a high-speed chase in which multiple gunshots were fired at deputies and other drivers, which some witnesses claimed were fired from the passenger side of the vehicle. The department said that Savannah was "a participant in shooting at our deputies," however, the teen was reported to have been unarmed when she was fatally shot by police.
Savannah was wearing tactical gear and a helmet when she approached the deputies after the vehicle was pulled over next to 15 Freeway in Hesperia. The teen initially got down on the ground before walking toward police in adherence with a deputy's commands, which included shouting, "Passenger get out! Passenger get out!" and "Hey, come to me, come to me" in audio released by the department.
The video states that while Savannah was ordered to come toward the police vehicle, other deputies at a higher elevation and different viewpoint only saw her exit the truck and move toward their colleagues, which led to them opening fire.
"Oh no," a deputy is heard saying in footage captured from a helicopter view after the teen was shot.
"Hey, stop, stop shooting her! He's in the car. Stop," said the deputy who initially called for Savannah to approach the police vehicle.
Savannah was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital, while her father was pronounced dead at the scene. Multiple firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, flash band and smoke grenades, body armor and tactical helmets were all later recovered from the suspect vehicle.
Four San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were struck by gunfire in relation to the incident, which is still being investigated by the California Department of Justice.