NATOMAS, Sacramento — The Sacramento Police Department released videos Monday from an incident in early December where officers shot and killed a suspect at a Natomas grocery store.
The incident happened around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, when an officer was responding to a report of a car had the crashed into the Bel Air supermarket on on Arena Boulevard. Police received multiple reports from people inside the supermarket that the driver of the car was inside the store with a large knife and was "cutting his own throat."
Employees running from the store told officers the man was near the bakery section. According to Sacramento police, more officers arrived and found 26-year-old Jordan Zenka inside the store with cuts on his neck and holding a large knife.
The body cam footage released by police consists of four body camera videos, three surveillance videos, four dispatch audio files and two cell phone videos taken by witnesses.
"The videos being released today begin with the initial response of officers and end when the officers began rendering medical aid," said the police department in press release.
WARNING: The content of this video is graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.
According to the department, the officer tried to talk to Zenka and told him to drop the knife multiple times. The officer attempted to negotiate with Zenka while more officers arrived with non-lethal options, such as Tasers, 40mm exact impact sponges and bean bag guns.
The negotiations lasted for more than 20 minutes while officers helped employees, who were hiding throughout the store, to safety. Towards the end of the negotiations, Zenka can be seen running towards the officers, armed with a large knife.
Officers tried hitting Zenka with "less lethal options but they had little effect on him." Despite being hit multiple times, police say Zenka continued to run towards a Sacramento Police Department K9 Unit and a CHP patrol officer while carrying a "large serrated knife." The officers fired their guns, hitting Zenka who died at the scene. The less-lethal options are fired again until Zenka let go of the knife.
Sacramento police say the investigation is still underway.
Despite the incident being recorded from multiple surveillance cameras, body worn footage, and witness video, law enforcement experts and mental health advocates have very different perspectives of how the deadly encounter unfolded.
"They let him get incredibly close for somebody with a knife," said Don Vilfer, a former FBI Swat team member, and lawyer. "A lot of people think you can shoot the gun out of the hand, but that isn't practical. A person with a knife can get on top of you really quickly."
Vilfer said he commends the officers for exhausting every option available to them before resorting to deadly force. While an investigation is ongoing to determine whether or not the shooting was justified, he said his review of the footage tells him, the officers were in danger.
But Carly Brannin views the video differently.
"To me it appeared he was trying to run off and past the police to escape- because he was afraid," she said.
Brannin is part of Mental Health First, which is part of the Anti Police-Terror Project. It's an all-volunteer group of mental health advocates, social workers and concerned Sacramentans working to eliminate the need for law enforcement in mental health crises.
"Drawing a weapon is not part of deescalating," she said.
She said the standard police response that was used likely made Zenka more defensive. Brannin said she hopes that people in crises in similar future cases can be met with a mental health professional who can make a meaningful connection.
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