Texas police are scrambling to order more body cameras after deputies shoot a man who may have been surrendering
Another police-involved shooting has raised critical questions about police use of force and highlighted the necessity of police body cameras in investigating such encounters.
On Friday, a domestic disturbance call in Texas quickly escalated into a lethal confrontation with police.
During the call, two Bexar County sheriff's deputies encountered 41-year-old Gilbert Flores outside a home in San Antonio. According to Sheriff Susan Pamerleau, deputies found an injured woman and 18-month-old child inside the home.
Pamerleau says that during the encounter, Flores resisted arrest, and the responding deputies used "non-lethal weapons to try and detain him" and said that both deputies shot and killed the man "after a lengthy confrontation."
Video of the encounter that was released by local TV station KSAT-12 shows the moment the deputies shot and killed Flores. In the seconds before he was shot, Flores — who was standing some distance away from the deputies — can be seen with at least one hand raised to the sky. His other hand was obscured by a utility pole.
It's unclear whether any words were exchanged between Flores and the deputies. The video that aired on KSAT-12 is reportedly one of at least two bystander-recorded videos of the incident.
WARNING: The following video is graphic.
County officials appear to be taking the shooting seriously, because hours after the video was released Monday, Bexar County commissioners approved funding to get more body cameras for sheriff's deputies. The commissioners also want the sheriff's department to review its use of force policies, according to a Reuters report.
Many other police-involved shootings over the past several years have raised similar concerns about use of force, particularly as it pertains to suspects who are minorities.
Texas has seen an uptick in these types incidents in recent months, including one involving a trainee officer who shot and killed an unarmed college student last month.
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