Hayward Police Release Body Cam Footage From Officer-Involved Shooting
HAYWARD (CBS SF) -- The Hayward Police Department (HPD) released body cam footage Thursday from a fatal officer-involved shooting back in May to increase transparency with its investigation, according to the Hayward Police Chief.
The footage shows multiple officers shooting 23-year-old Stoney Ramirez, a suspect in the murder of a homeless man, over a dozen times after he rammed a stolen car into an officer's vehicle.
"We take the use of force very seriously, especially when it results in death," Hayward Police Chief Toney Chaplin said. "We're sharing this information with our community, so you have as much information as possible to create additional transparency as the Department continues to investigate this matter."
A statement from the department about the footage's release said it initially withheld the footage to "preserve the integrity of the investigation."
The shooting occurred after police received word that Ramirez, a suspect in the May 1 shooting of a 65-year-old homeless man, was in the area of Kelly and Wildwood streets, sitting in a white sedan.
After officers arrived, they exited their vehicles with their guns drawn, as they suspected Ramirez was armed. Ramirez never excited his car, attempting to escape instead by backing up into a police vehicle that blocked him into a driveway. After multiple warnings, the officers fired on Ramirez's car over a dozen times. He died on scene from his wounds.
Hayward police say the shooting is still under investigation, with the department's internal affairs unit determining if the officers' use of force were justified.
The footage, which consists of audio from dispatchers, and video from a security camera and the body cameras of two responding officers, is available on YouTube.