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Texas police have released a video showing an officer shooting a 27-year-old man dead in front of his partner and four-month-old baby.
Alex Gonzales was fatally shot 10 times around 12:30am on 5 January following an alleged “road rage incident” with off-duty officer Gabriel Gutierrez.
Officer Gutierrez, who was driving a personal car and not in uniform, claimed that Mr Gonzales had cut him off in traffic and pointed a gun at him, causing him to open fire on Mr Gonzales, injuring him and his partner, before calling 911 for back-up, as reported by NBC.
The first incident is not captured on camera as he was not on duty.
In the 911 call to the operator the officer can be heard telling Gonzales “Put your gun down. Austin Police, put your gun down. Don’t make me shoot you again, man. It’s the police”, as reported by Newsweek.
When other officers arrived Mr Gonzales’ last moments were captured on the dash cam of a patrol car, police body cams and mobile phone footage from a nearby witness, which show multiple officers holding him at gun point and shouting “don’t reach”, as his partner appears to lie on the road.
Mr Gonzales exits the car, walks to the passenger door, opens it and appears to be reaching into the back seat, where his child was sitting, when the shots appear to be fired by Austin officer Luis Serrato.
His partner, who survived, later said she had asked him t check to see if their 16-week-old baby had been injured. The child was later discovered to be unharmed.
Authorities later found a gun in Mr Gonzales’ car, but he is not pictured with it in any of the available footage.
Both officers Gutierrez and Serrato have been placed on administrative leave.
Scott Hendler, a lawyer representing the family, told NBC affiliate KXAN: “At no time in any of the videos is he seen brandishing the weapon, let alone holding the weapon, so I think that what the public is going to see is going to be very upsetting.”
Mr Hendler called the footage “heartbreaking and tragic” and added: “What happened is unconscionable, in my opinion. There’s no credible defense for it.”
Describing the moment that Mr Gonzales is shot, Mr Hendler said: “He can be seen walking very unsteadily toward the back of the car using the car to hold him up. You can see him walk behind the car. He has no weapon in his hand. He doesn’t brandish a weapon. He doesn’t have anything in his hand. He doesn’t point anything at the officers.”
He continued: “[Gonzales] walks to the other side of the vehicle where his girlfriend and the mother of his child is lying on the ground, wounded, to check on her,. She asks him to check on the baby. He then opens the back door to look in and leans in to check on the baby, and that’s when he’s shot.”
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