Latest news with #Perez-Becerra
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Sunnyvale officer who shot and killed naked man with knife did so lawfully, DA says
(KRON) — A Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety officer who shot and killed a half-naked 19-year-old man rushing at him with a knife last year did so lawfully, according to a report from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. In the initial incident, police responded to a 911 call on March 23 last year reporting a man walking around with a knife. The caller, it turned out was the man with the knife, identified as Emmanuel Perez-Becerra, 19. He was wearing only a shirt at the time and was naked from the waist down. Officers responded to the scene at the intersection of Calle Alicia and Calle Anita. Initially, the officer remained in his vehicle and ordered the subject to drop the knife using the vehicle's PA system. Zizians killings investigation: Who's who Officials identify suspect in stabbing death of Cal Fire captain Perez-Becerra, the DA said, ignored this and kept walking north on Calle Alicia. The officer exited his vehicle, drew his firearm and pointed it at Perez-Becerra, again ordering him to 'Drop the knife.' Perez-Becerra refused orders from the officers to drop the knife. He also ignored a warning that he would be shot, the DA said. Officers tried to avoid the use of force by maintaining a safe distance from the subject. However, Perez-Becerra rapidly advanced toward Sunnyvale DPS officer Kevin Lemos, the DA said. Lemos fired two rounds from his department-issued sidearm. Both rounds struck the subject in the chest, killing him. 'This incident is unquestionably heartbreaking for both the officer and the decedent's family,' read a report from Deputy DA Rob Baker. 'The evidence strongly suggests that Perez-Becerra may have committed 'suicide by cop' due to a years-long battle with depression and schizophrenia. His own actions and behavior, however, placed Officer Lemos in the unfortunate situation that left him, in the words of an independent bystander, 'no choice' but to use lethal force.' In the report, Officer Lemos explained that he followed Perez-Becerra to 'keep eyes' on him, believing he was a danger to the public, based on the day and time, the officer said, it would have been common for adults and children to be out and about in the area. An autopsy report on Perez-Becerra, the DA said, noted he had been diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia following six years of suicidal ideation. He had been subjected to both voluntary and involuntary Emergency Psychiatric Services holds at least twice in the year leading up to the shooting. Last month, Perez-Becerra's family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in connection to the shooting. His parents and their lawyers maintain that officers did not follow protocol and that using a firearm on the 19-year-old should have been a last resort. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
21-02-2025
- CBS News
DA's report exonerates Sunnyvale police officer who fatally shot knife-wielding teen in crisis
A Sunnyvale police officer who shot and killed a knife-wielding 19-year-old having a mental health crisis acted lawfully after the teen lunged at him, a report from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said. The shooting happened in March 2024 after the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety responded to a 911 of a partially naked man walking around with a large knife at a mobile home park on Vienna Drive. Emmanuel Perez Becerra had called 911 on himself and when dispatchers realized it was the suspect on the line, they tried to de-escalate the situation as officers were arriving, DPS said. Police bodycam video showed an officer in a patrol car and another officer on foot following Perez-Becerra and giving multiple commands to drop the knife. The officer on foot started backing away, as Becerra walked toward him wielding the knife the officer was heard saying, "I'm gonna shoot you ... if you don't stop stop right there." Officer Kevin Lemos fired twice as Perez-Becerra began moving quickly toward him from about 15 feet away, the video showed. Perez-Becerra was hit twice in the chest and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. In a press release Friday, the District Attorney's Office said the report authored by Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker concluded the shooting was "unquestionably heartbreaking for both the officer and the decedent's family." "The evidence strongly suggests that Perez-Becerra may have committed 'suicide by cop' due to a years-long battle with depression and schizophrenia," the report said. "His own actions and behavior, however, placed Officer Lemos in the unfortunate situation that left him with, in the words of an independent bystander, 'no choice' but to use lethal force." Lemos told investigators he was outside of his patrol vehicle because he believed Perez-Becerra was a danger to the neighborhood residents; based on the day and time, it would have been common for adults and children to be out and about in the area, the report said. The DA's Office said Perez-Becerra had been diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia and had been subjected to emergency psychiatric services holds at least twice in the two years leading up to the shooting. In January, Perez-Becerra's parents filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Lemos and the City of Sunnyvale, alleging in the complaint that their son did not threaten anyone and that the officers who outnumbered Perez-Becerra did not use any other tools to de-escalate the situation. "The officer had a Taser. He had pepper spray. He had a baton," said attorney Adanté Pointer in a prepared statement. "He never attempted to deescalate the situation, or to use non-lethal force, or to use any other method that might have avoided this needless loss of a young man's life."
