Preliminary Investigation: Burglary Suspect Daverion Kinard Was Carrying A Lighter, Not A Gun When He Was Killed By Fontana Police
FONTANA (CBSLA) -- The Fontana Police Department released video footage from a burglary that led to an officer opening fire and fatally shooting unarmed 29-year-old Daverion Deauntre Kinard.
Police Chief Billy Green said in a statement shared on Thursday that the video was prepared to help the department continue to "build and maintain trust with the community."
At 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, the police's dispatch center received a 911 call about a burglary at a home.
A homeowner's Ring doorbell camera picked up the suspect looking around the home and removing a front window screen. The burglar was seen leaving the residence, then returning to gain entrance through the window.
When police got to the scene, they saw the suspect inside, who refused to obey commands not to move. The suspect ran out the back door and into the neighborhood, Green said.
Officers took off toward the suspect as one officer was heard on the body camera footage saying that the suspect appeared to be running toward police.
An on-foot pursuit began and officers later found the suspect sitting in a portable bathroom about 1,000 feet from the initial burglary incident.
An officer opened the door and shined a flashlight inside onto the suspect sitting on the toilet with his arms folded in his lap. The suspect raised his left hand after the officer shouted, "Hey," and according to police, "began to roll his right hand forward toward the officer, revealing a metallic object" that was later determined to be a lighter, and not a weapon. That's when the officer fired the deadly shot that killed the suspect.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, San Bernardino District Attorney's Office and Fontana Police Department are all conducting independent investigations into the deadly shooting.
Fontana Police and Kinard's parents reached a $1 million settlement in his death by the police officer.
A full video of Chief Green's statement and body camera footage from the incident can be viewed here.
