SAN BERNARDINO, CA — To its full extent, law enforcement members have the ability to end lives, and when that power is used, in any capacity, the people deserve the full story, charges the First Amendment Coalition.
The coalition said the state of California has passed a landmark set of laws that guarantee the public access to all videos and records of police shootings, such as The Right to Know Act of 2018.
According to the FAC, in September 2022, 15-year-old Savannah Graziano was shot and killed by one or more deputies, who were initially tasked with rescuing her. The shooting occurred by the side of a freeway following a pursuit and shootout with her father, Anthony Graziano, who was suspected to have killed his estranged wife and kidnapped Savannah.
After the shooting, the sheriff released a video statement, “Savannah Graziano was a participant in shooting at our deputies.”
However, Los Angeles Times news coverage revealed, said FAC, the sheriff “did not say whether she was armed when she was running toward deputies, or who shot her.”
To further investigate the shooting, independent journalist Joey Scott submitted a request under the California Public Records Act for videos of the shootout. To which, FAC charges, the sheriff’s department stonewalled for 18 months. It was only after the FAC demanded disclosure that the videos and recordings were made accessible.
The Los Angeles Times reported the video footage “contradicts statements made by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in the aftermath of the shooting,” and “the department also walked back statements its leaders had made that Savannah had fired shots at deputies before her death.”
Audio recordings of Savannah revealed, said FAC, she was following a deputy’s orders to exit her father’s truck and go to him when at least one other deputy fired at her.
Additionally, aerial video from a law enforcement helicopter’s footage disclosed Savannah appearing to walk cautiously, crouching at times, toward the deputy. The deputy can be heard yelling, “Stop shooting her,” reported FAC.
