Savannah Graziano lies on the ground during a shootout involving her father, Anthony Graziano, who allegedly kidnapped her and killed her mother. The incident took place in Hesperia, California, on Sept. 28, 2022. Insets L-R: Anthony Graziano, Savannah Graziano.
Police in Southern California released a disturbing video showing deputies shooting an unarmed teenage kidnapping victim. California The harrowing video shows deputies shooting an unarmed teenage kidnapping victim as she stepped out of a car and obeyed a deputy’s command to walk towards him.
The incident began with the killing of Anthony Graziano's estranged wife and the kidnapping of their 15-year-old daughter, Savannah Graziano, in Fontana, San Bernardino County on Sept. 26, 2022. An Amber Alert was issued the following day, and on Sept. 28, 2022, a tipster called the police to report spotting Savannah.
Police intercepted Graziano's pickup truck, driven by him with Savannah in the passenger seat, leading to a pursuit covering several miles on Interstate 15 and into Hesperia. Graziano allegedly fired shots during the pursuit, hitting patrol cars and injuring a deputy. Sheriff Shannon Dicus stated that Savannah was a “participant” in shooting at deputies. A witness reported shots coming from the passenger side of the truck, but this statement is still under investigation. The video, obtained by the Press-Enterprise
The videoand Los Angeles ABC affiliate, is from the sheriff’s office helicopter following the chase. It shows Graziano attempting to drive over a dirt hill but failing. The truck is then surrounded by cops, and Graziano opens fire. KABCNone of the deputies on the ground have body cameras, but they have audio belt recordings. The recording from the deputy closest to Savannah was released by the sheriff’s office.
“Passenger get out! Passenger get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Passenger, Get out! Get out!,” the deputy shouts.
Savannah, wearing a bulletproof vest and a tactical helmet, exits the truck and lies down on the road.
The deputy closest to her instructs her to come towards him.
“All right, girl’s out guys. Female juve is out. She’s out on the passenger side,” the deputy in the helicopter says.
The deputy closest to her urges her to come to him, saying, “Hey! Hey! Come here! Come to me, Come to me! Come! Come! Come! Come! Walk! Walk! Walk!”
Savannah gets up and starts walking towards the deputy.
The narrator stated that deputies at a distance and higher locations, with differing fields of view, saw a person exit the vehicle and move towards other deputies, leading them to open fire and hit Savannah.
The deputy who told her to come to him shouted, "Please stop shooting her! The guy is in the car! Stop! She's fine. He's in the car! Stop!"
The deputies ceased shooting, but it was already too late. Their bullets struck Savannah.
The policeman in the helicopter expressed, "Oh no."
The deputies went to her, and paramedics hurried her to the hospital, but doctors declared her dead. Graziano also died in the gunfight.
Dicus the day after the shooting
made a request to the state Attorney General’s Office to look into the incident according to Assembly Bill 1506's regulations. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on Sept. 30, 2020,
demanding that the state Attorney’s General Office, also known as the state Department of Justice, investigate officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian through a new unit. The fundamental requirements are that the person killed by the police is a civilian and is unarmed. Similar rules are in place in other states, including AB 1506 , where any use of a firearm by a law enforcement officer on duty, regardless of the outcome, is subject to inquiry. New JerseyThe California Attorney General’s Office
stated that it was taking charge of the investigation. The office declined to provide further comments than what was already mentioned in the news release. The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office has directed all inquiries to the AG’s office. announced As per her
statement, Savannah was homeschooled and was a dedicated member of her church. obituaryThe tribute mentioned, "Savannah loved camping, skateboarding, playing video games, spending time with her dog Aurora, and being with her family and friends."
The narrator mentioned that deputies "at a distance … saw a person exit the vehicle and move toward other deputies." Those deputies then opened fire, hitting Savannah. A deputy shouted, "Stop shooting her!"