By Molly Sullivan
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Police released body camera footage Monday of officers fatally shooting a 22-year-old man last week at an apartment complex near Sacramento State.
The video shows a tense confrontation between police and Jeremy Southern on July 21. Southern is seen pointing a gun at officers for 90 seconds. Officers gave 28 commands for him to drop the gun before firing at Southern twice.
The video release — mandated by the City Council’s policy on police use of force — includes video from three police body cameras, one cell phone from a witness and 11 audio files of police and 911 communications. The police department is still investigating the incident and will release additional videos, the department said in a news release.
The videos released Monday show officers following on foot as Southern and a female companion walk in The Crossings apartment complex in the 2900 block of Ramona Avenue, which houses more than 700 students. Sacramento Police said the two officers were at the complex to collect surveillance footage from a shooting that occurred there on July 15.
While there, the officers recognized the suspect from the shooting walking through the complex. Police said Southern was the suspect in the shooting.
Officers quickly approach behind Southern as he walks into a courtyard and pull their weapons. They identify Southern by name and give commands for him to put his hands up.
Southern is seen raising a handgun in his left hand and the woman accompanying him steps between him and police.
“Put your hands up, Jeremy,” one officer yells. “Drop the gun . . . Jeremy, drop the gun.”
Officers take cover behind an exterior wall of the apartment complex an estimated 90 feet away while repeatedly giving commands. Cell phone video of the incident filmed by a resident shows Southern gripping a handgun with both hands and pointing in the direction of the police officers. The woman with him moves off to the left. Southern continues to point the gun as he pulls out his cell phone and holds it to his face. He approaches the door of the apartment building and then moves back to the courtyard.
“Jeremy, drop the gun, it’s not worth it,” an officer says. “Jeremy, drop the gun, we don’t want to shoot you.”
One of the officers can be heard saying he sees people in a lobby of the apartment building behind Southern.
An officer armed with a rifle arrives at the scene and chambers a round as he sprints to the officers giving commands to Southern. The officer then takes position and announces, “I’m going to take a shot.”
The cell phone video shows Southern being hit in the abdomen and falling to the ground. The gun falls a few feet in front of him to his right.
https://www.facebook.com/SacramentoPoliceDepartment/videos/331349548033276/
The woman who had been walking with Southern lays down on the ground after officers command her to get down. She continues to cry and scream and Southern rolls over on his right side. As Southern begins to crawl back toward the gun, the woman screams for him to stay down.
The officer armed with the rifle can be heard saying, ““if he crawls forward, I’m taking a shot again.”
About 7 seconds later, the officer fires a second shot. Southern does not appear to move again.
A few minutes after the second shot, eight officers move toward him, two of them carrying shields. As they begin giving medical aid, two officers handcuff the woman as she lies on the ground.
“Please make sure he lives . . . he’s a good man,” she says. The officer responds, “we’re going to do our best.”
Southern was transported by the Sacramento Fire Department to a local area hospital where he later died of his wounds, the Sacramento Police Department said.
©2020 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.)