By Maeve O’Brien
RIO LINDA, CA – On the morning of March 23, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputies fired consecutive fatal shots at a suicidal man, Christopher Gilmore, after wrongfully accusing him of holding a knife in his hand, according to a recently released statement issued by family lawyers.
The statement maintained, after a 911 call, deputies arrived at Gilmore’s address after he presented signs of self-harm and made suicidal claims.
Los Angeles civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone and Sacramento litigator Daniel Del Rio are representing Gilmore’s family and are calling for a full investigation,
Video footage shows, said the lawyers, Gilmore was cutting himself and exited his home “naked and bleeding.” Just moments after he appeared outside, deputies claimed he was holding a knife and began firing multiple non-lethal and then lethal rounds at Gilmore.
The released statement reads “…one deputy announces, ‘He has a knife.’ Another deputy fires five non-lethal rounds at Gilmore as he walks toward the street…suddenly, a deputy fires three shots at Gilmore as he reaches the sidewalk.”
Once the shots had been fired and Gilmore was dying on the ground, a deputy kicked a “small disposable razor” that was previously claimed to be the knife, located near Gilmore’s body, the statement asserts.
Gilmore’s older sister, Bobbie Gilmore, expressed her frustration with the deputies’ violent reaction, stating, “Christopher came out of the house because he heard me calling him from across the street… he was walking to me and never approached any of the deputies.”
DeSimone and Del Rio strongly criticized law enforcement’s plan of action and emotional maturity when dealing with mental health crises, with Del Rio stating, “This heartbreaking footage of Christopher Gilmore’s final moments reveals a deeply troubling lack of compassion and a failure to adhere to training protocols.”
