Police Shooting of Hispanic Man Prompts Texas Officials to Invest $1M in Body Cameras for Officers
A video of a fatal police shooting in Texas of a Hispanic man, who appeared to be surrendering, has led officials in San Antonio to invest in body cameras for all of their police officers.
Officials in Texas' Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, voted on Tuesday to purchase additional body cameras for officers, just one day after a cellphone video appeared to show a man with his hands up being shot to death by two sheriff's deputies who were not wearing body cameras, reports the New York Times.
In the video, which was recorded by a bystander, 41-year-old Gilbert Flores is seen facing two deputies, who were responding to a domestic disturbance call last Friday morning in northwest San Antonio. Flores then appears to raise both of his hands in the air to surrender. However, deputies Greg Vasquez and Robert Sanchez opened fire.
Authorities said that Flores had resisted arrest. Meanwhile, a utility pole blocks the view of Flores' left arm before the shooting took place. Witnesses, on the other hand, say Flores had both arms raised and did not appear to be a threat.
"I don't understand why he was shot. Both of his hands were up," said Michael Thomas, the bystander who recorded the video and then sent it to KSAT 12 News.
Following the video release on Monday, officials voted to finance additional body cameras for deputies in the field, since only about eight motorcycle officers had them. The commissioners approved almost $1 million to pay for hundreds of body and dashboard cameras for the entire police department.
"Obviously, what's happened is a horrible, horrible tragedy for all parties involved," said one of the County Commissioners, Tommy Calvert.
An F.B.I. spokeswoman said federal officials have also opened an investigation to determine whether a civil rights violation had taken place "as a result of a deputy willfully engaging in the use of excessive or unjustified force."
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