Video has finally been released of an unarmed 15-year-old girl, Savannah Graziano, being fatally shot by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies in Hesperia, California, after her dad, Anthony, allegedly kidnapped her, on Sept. 26, 2022.
Savannah reportedly watched Anthony shoot and kill her mother outside a school, after which the 45-year-old dad kidnapped her. An Amber Alert was released, but didn’t help save her life.
After a high-speed chase of about 70 miles, San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies stopped Anthony’s vehicle off a freeway. Police claimed shots had been fired from the vehicle, notes The Daily Beast:
Savannah is then ordered out of the truck by police, and she is seen in the video emerging on the highway shoulder. She was reportedly wearing tactical gear, though her specific attire is not clearly visible in the footage.
“Passenger, get out!” one of the cops is heard yelling. “Passenger get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Passenger, get out! Get out!”
“She’s out,” an officer can be heard saying over the radio. “She’s out on the passenger side.”
“Come here! Come here! Come to me! Come to me!” another officer instructs Savannah. “Come, come, come, come! Walk, walk, walk, walk!”
As Savannah begins walking toward police, she is struck down by gunfire. The deputy who was shouting at her to walk towards him now begins to yell at his fellow officers: “Stop! Stop shooting her! He’s in the car! Stop! She’s OK! He’s in the car! Stop!”
“Oh, no,” the police dispatcher can be heard saying. Savannah was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her father was shot and killed at the scene.
CJ Wyatt, Savannah’s uncle, told Tne Guardian how disorganized the deputies were:
There needs to be better training so that unarmed people aren’t killed. Hopefully this video can be used for training – something has to be done differently. She didn’t have to die.
(Sources: The Guardian, The Daily Beast, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department via YouTube)