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Santa Maria police shoot and kill suicidal man, video

July 21, 2016

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UPDATE: The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department has identified the man killed by Santa Maria police as 31-year-old Javier Gaona.

ORIGINAL: In an apparent suicide by cop, Santa Maria police officers shot and killed a man Wednesday who charged at them with a knife. However, the shooting occurred before a crowd of onlookers who began screaming and cursing at the police for using excessive force.

At 8:44 a.m., officers responded to a report of a man who was said to have walked into a bank with a knife. Officers found the man in front of FoodsCo at 1465 S. Broadway.

Police attempted to talk with the man, but the negotiations failed, and the suspect continued to hold the knife in a threatening manner, according to police.

Officers fired several rounds of less lethal munitions but did not succeed in subduing the man. The suspect then started stabbing himself, after which he charged at officers with the knife.

As the man was running with the knife, officers filed multiple bullets at him. The man fell to the ground after he was shot.

Video footage captured by a witness shows the officers were positioned behind patrol vehicles at the time they shot the man.

An ambulance arrived at the scene and transported the man to the hospital where he died from his injuries.

During the standoff, a crowd of onlookers was watching from across the street. After the officers shot the man, witnesses reacted angrily, accusing the officers of using excessive force. Some said the officers should have used tasers to subdue the man.

“You guys are a bunch of murderers,” one man repeatedly screamed.

Others yelled “fuck you” at the police.

One witness, though, said the man was going crazy even after officers fired less lethal munitions at him. Then he charged at the police, the witness said.


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How about using the old fashioned “liquid taser” to subdue this disturbed individual. …


A FIRE HOSE!


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We are under drought conditions, and lead is cheaper, sorry this is CA, lead ammo is outlawed must have been a alloy


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It’s a good possibility this guy was on drugs that made him do what he did. That or he was just psychotic. His family, on another news channel, said he had no history of mental illness, so that makes me wonder it was suicide by police. Depression is one of those things people can hide, but that level of psychosis is pretty evident.


I wonder if technology will soon solve most of these situations. I can imagine a drone dropping some kind of net trap over the guy. Or some kind of little flying robots that shoot tranquilizer darts.


In the meantime, I support our law enforcement.


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Pretty soon when the PD will gets a call and it will send out an armed drone. It’ll feedback video to a room full of cops (the union won’t allow a reduction in force of course) and someone will make the decision to pull the trigger.


Then a contractor working for the county coroner will get a call to pick up the body. Don’t worry though, we’ll still hear how hard law enforcement works under such dangerous conditions…


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http://www.ksby.com/story/32504212/strangers-help-save-woman-toddler-from-knife-wielding-attacker?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_KSBY#


three unarmed men did a better job of handling a knife weilding man than the Santa Maria police


SMPD back to the drawing board….untrained unarmed citizens subdue citizen better than squadron of police in fear for their lives…..


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The way I understand the Taser, it has an effective range of 25′. Do you want some crazy person with a knife within 25′ of you?


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Put all cop haters on a list. Then when some punk breaks into their homes and they call 911 we can check the list. If the caller is on it they are on their own.


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Tell you what. Refund the taxes I pay that specifically go to pay for the police who would respond to a call at my house. Let me spend that money as I wish on home defense. I’m ready…


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Sorry it doesn’t work that way. If you hate the police and distrust them don’t call 911 pull out your dusty wallet and install an alarm system, hire an on call guard and buy a gun. Your tax dollars will go towards protecting you and your loved ones outside of your home. capiche?


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“Sorry” but it’s a logical answer to your moronic “list.” My personal safety measures extend when I’m out in public as well, “capiche”?


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Give the laud mouth a gun and have a guy charge him with a knife and see what he does.


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A very sad, unfortunate and no doubt preventable tragedy. A very trouble youth with no sense of reality and police officers who feared for their safety and lives .A perfect storm.

I’m not sure why so many shots were fired when the weapon in question was a knife and clearly there was some distance between the officers and the suspect.

I feel bad for the suspected family and loved ones as well as the officers who felt that they had no choice but to shoot…I’m sure they feel bad about the way it all turned out.

We have to stop the violence and increase the peace.


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cowards fear for their lives from behind a patrol car in a present gang of no less than 30 against a mentally ill man with a knife. cowards.


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One thing that really interests we are the so-called “bean-bag” guns. It would seem very possible with today’s materials to build a load (low velocity/large mass) that would transfer a huge about of energy into a human body (knocking them on their asses) without piercing them and causing a wound and the hydrostatic shock that typically leads to grave consequences.


Then again I’m sure such bean-bag guns need to be sized so they can be used by an “average” sized officer. If one was introduced (probably already has been) it would go the way of the 10 mm pistol cartridge because it would be “too much” for some officers.


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