Protest in Phoenix after cops filmed yelling 'I will f**king shoot you' before gunning down armed man inside car
Protests erupted across Phoenix, Arizona after a group of police officers shot dead an armed man who was sitting inside a parked car in the city on Saturday, July 4. Multiple witnesses recorded videos of the incident, where an officer could be heard screaming at the man identified as 28-year-old James Porter Garcia, saying: "Hey, stop f**king moving. I will f**king shoot you!" as he opened fire.
After public outrage, Phoenix police released a statement and bodycam footage of the incident, stating that the officers responded to a residence in the area after a caller reported a man who tried to kill him a week ago. The caller reportedly told the officers that the man had returned and was threatening him again with a knife. Cellphone footage taken by bystanders of the incident showed officers shouting at a man in the vehicle. Moments later a cracking sound is heard followed by nearly 10 gunshots. Witnesses, in a clip posted on Facebook, can also be heard screaming that the man inside the vehicle was dead after officers fired multiple shots.
One bystander says: "That's f**ked up man!" referring to the officers who can be seen surrounding the vehicle. Phoenix police released bodycam video from responding officers shortly after the clip became viral on social media. However, the video released by the police department does not show the actual shooting but only the aftermath as an officer is seen removing a gun from the front seat of Garcia's vehicle. Other officers then remove Garcia from the vehicle and transport him to a local hospital. The 28-year-old succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
You can watch the video here.
A statement released by the police department stated that two officers arrived at the scene and saw the suspect sitting in a parked car in a driveway. The officers then approached the car and told him that they were probing an aggravated assault report. When they asked the man to get out, he allegedly rolled up the window and showed a gun. The statement added that when the officers demanded that he drop the gun, the man raised the weapon and allegedly pointed it toward the officers. That is when one of the officers broke the side window of the car to distract him while the other two officers present opened fire inside the car.
Massive protests broke across the city shortly after Garcia's death with demonstrators marching to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain police station. The department, meanwhile, has urged witnesses to send in any videos of the shooting they may have recorded to help them investigate the case further.
Phoenix City Councilman Carlos Garcia also released a statement on the incident and shared the viral video on Facebook, writing: "It does not shock us that despite all the scrutiny from community Phoenix PD continues to respond violently to calls. But, we must all continue to ask for transparency and accountability. The department also issued a premature statement leaving out facts about the case. We cannot allow for dishonest narratives to be built by violent departments. We will continue to call for independent investigations into officer-involved shootings."