Family Speaks Out After Deadly Confrontation Between Sacramento Police And Suspect
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The family of a suspect killed in a North Sacramento officer-involved shooting is speaking out.
Family identifies the man officers killed in Saturday's incident as 22-year-old Jose Cardenas. He is said to have been the father of three – including a 4-month-old girl.
"He was the best dad that my daughter could have had. He was the most loving person to me," said Cardenas' girlfriend Yesenia Miranda.
Sunday, Miranda came back to the scene where officers shot her boyfriend.
Police say Cardenas' own family called them, reporting that the 22-year-old was threatening his brother with a knife for taking his keys so he wouldn't drive drunk.
But Cardenas' family didn't think their call for help would leave them with a huge loss.
"I'm not okay, I'm so frustrated. I'm sad, I'm mad, I'm every feeling you could imagine," said Erica Aguirre, Cardenas' sister.
Police say Cardenas' actions left them no choice. Investigators say Cardenas would not comply with orders. They say they first used a stun gun to try and get Cardenas under control, but that did not stop him from allegedly threatening officers with a butcher's knife, forcing the officers to fire.
A check of Sacramento County Court records shows Cardenas' violent criminal past: he was sentenced to two years for burglary and assault with a deadly weapon in 2011.
His family called police because they felt threatened themselves. But now they're in mourning over the young father they never got a chance to say goodbye to.
"He cared so much about his family," Miranda said.
The two officers who fired the shots are on paid administrative leave, per standard procedure following an officer-involved shooting.