Apparently radio traffic from the helicopter alerted police that Savannah was there.
Los Angeles, USA:
Newly released video shows police officers on a mission to rescue a kidnapped girl shot and killed during a chaotic incident on a busy California highway.
Savannah Graziano, 15, was shot to death after a police officer told her to stay away from her gun-toting father, who a day earlier had killed her mother and kidnapped his daughter.
The incident occurred in September 2022 when police in San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles began a pursuit of a vehicle driven by Anthony Graziano with Savannah in the passenger seat.
Video from a California Highway Patrol helicopter released Friday showed the pickup truck traveling at speeds of more than 110 miles (175 kilometers) per hour and Graziano firing multiple shots at police from inside the vehicle.
The chase ended when Graziano took the wrong turn on a highway entrance ramp and came to a stop in the bushes, surrounded by police cars.
Video released Friday shows Savannah getting out of her car and walking toward an officer, who can be heard calling her over in another recording.
Apparently radio traffic from the helicopter alerted police that Savannah was there.
“The girl’s out. The girl’s out. Okay, the girl’s out, guys. The female…is out. She’s on the passenger side,” a male voice said.
The video shows Savannah crouching on the ground for several seconds before standing up and walking toward a group of police officers.
Appearing gunshots are heard in the video, then Savannah’s voice becomes muffled and a voice on the radio says “oh no.”
Audio captured by a microphone worn by an officer on the ground recorded him calling Savannah.
“Come to me! Come, come, come… go, go, go,” he said as heavy gunfire rang out.
“Hey! Stop! Stop shooting her,” he told his colleagues. “He’s in the car!”
As soon as these words were spoken, several gunshots could be heard.
A video narration released by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Coroner describes the moment.
“You could hear him calling her over and telling the other officers that the people getting out of the truck were passengers and telling them to stop shooting, but it was too late.”
The teen was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Her father was pronounced dead at the scene. Multiple weapons and body armor were found in the pickup, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, police said.
The names of the officers involved have not been released.
The California Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the incident.
San Bernardino Police Chief Shannon Dix said Tuesday that his department has been transparent since the incident.
“I hope this video can be viewed in its entirety and provide insight into the unfortunate events that occurred that day,” he said.
“I ask the public to allow the Department of Justice to complete its independent investigation before reaching a conclusion.”
Just weeks before the video was released, deputies from the same Sheriff’s Department shot and killed a 15-year-old autistic boy who suffered from mental illness.
Both incidents highlighted police use of force.
Violent clashes between the public and police are not uncommon in the United States.
A Washington Post tally shows that more than 1,100 people have been shot and killed by police across the country in the past 12 months.
The numbers are not official because police departments are not required to report incidents to the federal government.
There are more guns than people in the United States, and guns kill tens of thousands of people every year.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
