San Francisco police say video shows armed suspect pointing gun at officer before fatal shooting
Police in San Francisco on Wednesday released additional surveillance and body camera video related to an officer-involved shooting that killed an armed suspect ten days ago.
The incident happened just before midnight on Sunday on July 21st on Willow Street in the Tenderloin
The day after the shooting, CBS News Bay Area got video from a neighbor who said it looked like the person was just running away from officers and was shot in the back.
Police showed the new video at a town hall focused on the shooting. Authorities are required by state law to release video within 10 days of a fatal shooting by an officer.
The clips showed a different perspective of exactly what happened that night.
"Stop! Stop!" an officer shouts at the suspect just moments before he fired a round of gunshots.
That is what was recorded on video from the body-worn camera of the officer who fired the shots that killed the armed robbery suspect, 28-year-old Alexander Antonio Lopez.
According to police, late Sunday night, July 21, a man reported he was robbed of his electric scooter at gunpoint near UN Plaza. Police said within 30 minutes, officers spotted Lopez who matched the description of the suspect.
Officers said when they tried to stop Lopez to talk to him, he ran.
In the surveillance video that was edited and enhanced by SFPD, they say you can see Lopez turn back toward officers, point a gun at them and fire one shot. They say Lopez continued running down Willow Street as an officer was chasing him.
That's when they say Lopez raised the gun and pointed it at the officers again. Officer Paul Balza then stopped, drew his gun and shot Lopez.
"A shot to prevent the officer from being injured or killed, but also a shot to protect society," said Don Cameron.
He was a police academy trainer for almost 50 years. He trained cops on when to use deadly force. He said with the suspect firing one shot at officers, then raising the gun at them again, the officer was justified in using deadly force.
"The suspect is not aiming. He's shooting back in the general direction of the officers, but there are other people in the area," said Cameron.
During the virtual town hall, SFPD also showed pictures of the gun they said Lopez was carrying as well as the cartridge from the spent round he fired at officers.
The San Francisco District Attorneys office is reviewing the case and that will be the office determining whether the shooting was justified and if charges will be filed against the officer.
