Escondido officials posted body camera and surveillance footage on YouTube Friday from a June police shooting of a man who allegedly charged at an officer last month.
Officer Tim Hamilton shot Rosendo Sandoval Quezada, 44, multiple times in the early morning hours of June 19. Police said Quezada, who survived, approached the officer with a three-foot crowbar, saying he wanted to die.
The body camera video released by the Escondido Police Department, though, does not begin until just after the shooting occurred. The department said that Hamilton did not activate his camera until after discharging his weapon.
In the department’s publicly released video, which runs 11 minutes, it states Quezada said something to the effect of “Just kill me, I want to die” while charging Hamilton. The officer’s body cam footage begins just after the 7-minute mark.
The crowbar can be seen lying in the roadway near Quezada, who is heard repeating, “I want to die,” while lying in the street. The officer told him “You’re not gonna die, alright” while telling him to turn over and get on his stomach to be cuffed.
Other footage of the incident was collected from nearby businesses.
In an on-camera summary of the incident, Escondido Police Chief Ed Varso said dispatchers initially received a call from a man who said his mother’s ex-husband, Quezada, was “lurking around their home” about 3:30 a.m.
Varso said the woman had filed for a domestic violence-related restraining order against Quezada days earlier.
Using a suspect and vehicle description provided by his ex-wife, police say Quezada’s car was stopped near the intersection of Broadway and Washington Avenue.
After pulling over, Quezada allegedly got out of his car clutching the tool over his head and ran toward Hamilton. The officer, backpedaling, responded by shooting him in the abdomen.
Officials placed Hamilton, who has been with the department for about four years, on administrative leave after the shooting.
Quezada has since been charged with six felony and misdemeanor counts, including assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Varso said an investigation into the shooting was being conducted by the department’s Crimes of Violence Unit. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office also are reviewing the case.
– City News Service
