Bodycam video reveals what led to deadly shooting involving Glendale Police officers
WARNING: Video contains graphic content. Viewer Discretion is advised.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (KSAZ) -- The family of a man shot in the back of the head by Glendale Police officers is suing the department.
The Maricopa County Attorney ruled the shooting was justified. On Wednesday, the officers' body-cam recordings were released.
On July 1, 2017, Glendale Police were called to an apartment complex after a woman called 911, saying she and her boyfriend were being held hostage by two armed people.
Three officers ended up wrestling with 23-year-old Patrick Sanchez, trying to detain him. He reached for a gun, and was shot three times in the back of the head.
Bodycam footage from one of the officers at the scene show the officers, as they begin to question four people standing near a car.
"Hey man, I'm gonna pat you down real quick," one officer was heard saying. Sanchez was a convicted felon who was released on parole three months before the incident. When he doesn't follow orders, things got physical. The entire confrontation between Sanchez lasted less than 40 seconds.
Sanchez reaches toward his ankle, where an officer sees a gun hidden in his sock. Three officers are trying to gain control of Sanchez's hands.
"He's reaching for something. He's reaching for it. He's reaching for a gun," one officer was heard saying.
Another angle from another officer's body-cam shows the officers continuing to wrestle with Sanchez on the ground. Two officers point their guns at his head, and one officer fires three times. Emotions ran high after it became apparent that Sanchez had died.
A small pistol and knife were found in Sanchez's possession. Officer Badr el-Khannousi was the only one who fired his weapon. The officers were exonerated. It would take more than a year for Glendale Police to release the recordings and police report to the public.
Sanchez's mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against officer el-Khanoussi and the department, claiming Sanchez was executed, and the officers' actions were inappropriate. The attorney wasn't provided with the videos or report, until this week.