Sacramento Police Bodycam Video Shows Fatal Shooting At Anti-Gun Boxing Event In North Sacramento
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Newly-released video shows the moment shots were fired at a boxing event in North Sacramento, leaving one person dead.
The video shows how quickly the situation escalates and how fast a Sacramento police sergeant responded to gunshots, but the suspect's family says the sergeant failed them and the real shooter is still out there.
Sacramento police said officers were called to the event on Juliesse Avenue on November 14 after reports of cars driving recklessly in the area. A couple of hours later, police say a sergeant observed a crowd running from the warehouse and one witness said a man was armed with a gun. The sergeant then heard shots fired and ran toward the warehouse, confronting an armed suspect allegedly pointing a gun toward a crowd of people inside the building.
The officer then shot the suspect, 38-year-old Augustine Bernardo Morales, who suffered life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
READ ALSO: 'Guns Down, Gloves Up': Anti-Gun Boxing Event Turns Deadly In North Sacramento
Surveillance footage released Tuesday shows Morales waving a firearm in the direction of the crowd. Police said he was also seen walking toward the open doors of the warehouse and aiming his gun at the crowd while another person inside the building fired a weapon in his direction. Shortly after, the sergeant runs in the direction of the warehouse and shoots Morales in the parking lot.
After he was shot, Morales complied with the sergeant's orders. Morales's firearm and partially loaded magazine were recovered from the scene, police said.
In a press conference Tuesday evening, Morales's family said he meant no harm and believe police shot the wrong man.
"He got down, he slid his weapon to the officer, and turned in his direction and told the officer 'I didn't shoot anybody,'" his sister Maysa Garcia-Morales said.
The family spoke to the media after meeting with Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn Tuesday and reviewing the footage that was released to the public. Garcia-Morales said her brother was "attacked" by the sergeant and shot in the back.
They say though Morales had a gun, he never discharged his weapon. According to the family, the sergeant fired his weapon 13 times, hitting Morales with multiple bullets.
They are now calling for justice, change and accountability within the police department. The family is also planning to get an individual autopsy.
"I don't want another mother or another family to ever have to go through this. This should not happen," Morales's mother Roxanne Morales said.
As the family spoke to reporters, they allowed Morales's 10-year-old son Augustine Jr. to speak about the loss of his dad.
"This is going to bring pain for the rest of my life. And um, I'm not going to see him again," Augustine Morales Jr. said.
The other shooter in the warehouse has not yet been identified, police said.
Officers canvassed the area after the incident and found a shooting victim who had non-life-threatening injuries. It's unclear when that person was shot, however. Police do not believe that victim was struck by the sergeant's firearm.
The Sacramento Police Department is still investigating the incident and is asking any witnesses who have more information to contact detectives.
Video of the officer-involved shooting incident can be found here. Viewer discretion is advised.
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