(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Newly emerged helicopter footage of a 2022 police incident showed California Highway Patrol officers shooting and killing a kidnapped teenager who was running toward them seeking safety amid a flurry of gunfire, the Daily Mail reported.
Savannah Graziano, 15, was killed on Sept. 27, 2022 after being kidnapped by her father, Anthony John Graziano, 45—who had, just moments before, murdered his estranged wife, Tracy Martinez, by shooting her several times.
Martinez and Graziano were going through a divorce at the time. After killing Martinez, Anthony Graziano appears to have abducted his daughter.
Police, responding to an AMBER Alert call, tracked down the elder Graziano along a highway with his daughter in the car. Anthony fired at police throughout the chase, which went on for 70 miles.
The pursuit ended when Anthony trapped himself in the brush beside a Highway 15 exit ramp near Hesperia, California.
In the harrowing aerial footage of what followed, Savannah can be seen, unarmed—at least by the time of the video—listening to officers, crawling on her hands and knees.
Soon thereafter, she was bombarded by a hail of gunfire, all while one of the deputies on site pleaded with the others to stop.
“Stop shooting her! He’s in the car! Stop! She’s OK! He’s in the car!” the deputy can be heared saying.
Previous reports of the incident had suggested that officers fired on Savannah because she was wearing tactical gear and had fired first, which now appears to be questionable.
It remains possible, however, that Savannah did fire at officers first from the car, whether at the behest of her father, or for some other reason.
Savannah was pronounced dead at the scene after the shootout. Anthony was also killed.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office had issued no comment on the video as of the writing of this article.
The release of the footage comes on the heels of another tragedy involving a San Bernadino deputy who, last month, fatally shot a 15-year-old Apple Valley boy after he charged at the officer with a garden tool.
The unnamed officer was responding to a call about the teen, Ryan Gainer, attacking his sister and breaking doors and glass at the home, ABC 7 reported.
Family members said Ryan, who was autistic, had gotten worked up after being told to do chores instead of play video games.
