Yesterday, San Antonio’s KSAT released a video of two Bexar County sheriff deputies fatally shooting a 41-year-old man who appeared to have his arms raised in surrender.
The video, shot on a cell phone by a college student, shows the man, Gilbert Flores, walking shirtless in front of a home and behind several parked cars. As deputies Greg Vasquez and Robert Sanchez approach—they were responding to a domestic disturbance call—Flores jogs into the driveway and walks towards the deputies with his arms outstretched. He then turns his back and walks away, disappearing out of the camera’s view behind a police SUV. A moment later, he reemerges, seems to exchange words with the deputies, and appears to raise both arms, as though he were surrendering (the camera’s view of one arm is obstructed by a pole). Seconds later—as Flores’s arms are still apparently raised—one deputy opens fire, shooting Flores at least two times.
Flores was flown to a local hospital, where he later died. Neither of the deputies were injured, and both have been placed on administrative leave pending investigations by the county sheriff and district attorney’s office.
“Certainly, what’s in the video is a cause for concern,” Sheriff Susan Pamerleau said at a news conference on Friday, according to the New York Times. “But it’s important to let the investigation go through its course so that we can ensure a thorough and complete review of all that occurred of the evidence and the actions of the officers.”
Pamerleau also claimed Flores assaulted a woman and 18-month-old child inside that house, and that the officers tried using non-lethal methods including a Taser and a shield before opening fire; the video does not appear to show the use of either.
The full video, via KSAT, is embedded below.
Contact the author at taylor@gawker.com.