WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Authorities have released bodycam video from the deadly police shooting from Feb. 25 in West Sacramento.
It started when officers were called out to the Walmart parking lot near Reed Avenue and Riverpoint Court around 3:45 p.m. regarding a man with a knife. A witness told 911 they saw the man stab himself in the neck with a knife.
The video shows an officer arrive on scene when the suspect suddenly charges. That officer then fires several rounds, hitting the man at least once. Officers at the scene attempted to resuscitate the man but he was eventually pronounced dead at the scene. Yolo County Coroner's Office identified him as 24-year-old Adam Lundt.
Police say the investigation into the shooting is ongoing, but they say they can confirm he was armed at the time of the shooting. Video footage showed the man holding a gun and a knife. The gun was later determined to be a pellet gun, police said.
An independent investigation will be conducted by Woodland Police Department and the Yolo County District Attorney's Office, authorities said.
West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero commented on the release of the video Thursday.
“Our officers have taken an oath to serve and protect and I am committed to working with the WSPD to keep our community safe by responding with care and due diligence whenever there is an imminent danger,” Guerrero said in a Facebook post.
Guerrero offered links to suicide prevention resources in Yolo County and a 24-hour confidential crisis phone line.
“If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out,” Guerrero wrote.
Sacramento Attorney Stewart Katz, who has spent more than 30 years pursuing police misconduct cases against law enforcement agencies and officers, reviewed the footage.
“The term of art is ‘suicide by cop,’” Katz said of the incident he deemed tragic.
He says the man had already injured himself, making it very difficult for any other intervention such as a crisis person or mental health professional.
“It had a tragic but absolutely predictable end,” Katz said.
Former legal instructor for the FBI and a SWAT team member, Don Vilfer, reviewed the video released by the City of West Sacramento.
“Here the threat would appear serious to any officer since a person who has already attempted harm to himself is charging the officer with a gun and knife,” Vilfer said. “The belief that lethal force was necessary is likely reasonable given there was little to no opportunity for less than lethal force to remove the threat of serious injury.”
Officers may use deadly force when the officer believes they, or others, could be killed or seriously injured, Vilfer said.
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