DUNNIGAN, Calif. — Bodycam footage released by West Sacramento Police Wednesday sheds new light on the sequence of events leading to the Yolo County SWAT Team shooting and killing a man on Valentine’s Day.
It started around 8 a.m. that morning when members of the Yolo County SWAT team were executing a search and arrest warrant in Dunnigan.
They were looking for 63-year-old Hector Perez, who lived in a mobile home on County Road 88C and was wanted for child molestation.
West Sacramento police say Perez had a history of violence around arrests and was previously convicted of assault on a peace officer, which is why the SWAT team was deployed in this case.
The first piece of footage is from a drone and police say a drone was used because Perez lived next to other people.
Upon arrival, officers tried to speak with Perez but he didn’t respond. They called people he knew and tried to reach him for four hours.
Then, a robot was used to find him and it broke the windows of his mobile home to see inside. The robot made its way inside the trailer along with two drones.
Officers used a pole camera to find Perez in the trailer and police say he grabbed it when it was put through the bathroom window. They tossed a cell phone in the trailer hoping he would speak with them, but he didn’t respond. Officers then used tear gas.
Around 12:30 p.m., Perez came out of the trailer holding a knife and he was ordered to drop it. Officers fired at him with less-lethal rounds but he didn’t drop the knife, leading to a West Sacramento police officer firing at him.
Perez ultimately died at the scene.
The West Sacramento Police Department did not identify the officer who fired twice at Perez, though they did say the officer is a 7.5-year veteran on the force who will be authorized to return to duty.
Davis police are doing an independent criminal investigation into what happened, West Sacramento police are doing an internal investigation, and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office will finish its investigation and release its findings.
WATCH FOOTAGE HERE: Yolo County SWAT Team officer-involved shooting video released
