The San Diego Police Department has released video footage of the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Huy Ly, which occurred near Fay Elementary School in City Heights last month. The video, which is edited body camera footage from the officers involved, captures the moments leading up to the shooting, including the encounter with Ly, who was later found to be holding a toy gun. The CBS 8 report explains that officers had responded to a 911 call from the elementary school, prompting their confrontation with Ly in an alleyway.
While attempting to subdue Ly, officers struggled to quickly establish communication, trying to discern if he could understand Vietnamese. The released footage indicates multiple tactics employed by the officers, including the deployment of bean bag rounds and a police canine. However, the canine was called off, and when Ly began to flee, the decision was made not to redeploy the dog but rather to give chase. Civil rights attorney Eugene Iredale, in an interview per CBS 8, questioned the actions taken by the police, stating, “They sent the canine, and then, for reasons that are not apparent from the video, called the canine back and then, when the man began to flee, instead of redeploying the canine, they simply chased the man, ultimately resulting in his death.”
According to the Times of San Diego, the incident started with Ly sitting near the school auditorium and escalated quickly, despite officers’ repeated commands to drop his weapons. The video showcases an officer warning Ly in English and then calling for the translation of the directive into Vietnamese. The subsequent advance by at least 10 officers followed unsuccessful attempts to resolve the situation with less lethal force safely…