Newly released footage reveals that the California teen, whose father was thought to have abducted her in September 2022, was shot and killed by deputies while obeying their orders.
Despite what police had previously stated, the teen did not appear to be wearing tactical gear.
Savannah Graziano’s Kidnapping and Murder Case
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office reported at the time that Savannah Graziano, 15, was kidnapped by her father, Anthony John Graziano, 45, after he allegedly killed his estranged wife, Savannah’s mother, on September 26, 2022.
After the murder was uncovered, Savannah’s father was listed as a “armed and dangerous” suspect in an Amber Alert.
Savannah and her father lost their lives in a car pursuit and shootout that started after deputies discovered his truck.
Following the incident, Sheriff Shannon Dicus stated that evidence indicated Savannah was a “participant in shooting at our deputies” and that she had exited the vehicle from the passenger side while wearing tactical gear.
Newly released footage from the event, however, shows the adolescent was following officers’ directions to approach them rather than being dressed in tactical gear.
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California Sheriff’s Office Releases Video of Savannah Graziano Incident
In response to a California Public Records Act request, the sheriff’s office provided Southern California News Group with access to the video on Friday. It depicts Savannah crouching low and slowly approaching deputies before she was shot by an officer.
On Tuesday, attempts to get in touch with many Graziano family members for feedback on the new film were fruitless.
On September 27, 2022, in the early hours of the morning, a 911 caller reported spotting Anthony John Graziano’s suspected pickup truck along Highway 395 and Highway 58 in the Barstow region, according to the sheriff’s office at the time.
After locating the pickup truck, deputies pursued it for almost 45 miles along the highway. According to Dicus, throughout the pursuit, a driver from the automobile was “continually shooting back at the deputies” through the rear window, breaking the glass of a patrol car and rendering a second patrol car unusable.
Despite the fact that the video was shot from a distance, Savannah didn’t seem to be carrying any tactical gear or a vest.
Savannah was seen on camera approaching a patrol car for a few steps before crouching and pausing. A few deputies were standing by the patrol car with their weapons drawn.
Savannah stood up and made a couple more steps a few seconds later, at which point her body became blurry in the footage, most likely indicating that she had been shot.
Then, as a wave of additional deputies hurried forward to the closest patrol car, the voice on the recording can be heard exclaiming, “Oh, no.”
The shooting inquiry was taken over by the California Justice Department. The Justice Department’s investigation was cited by the sheriff’s office in its lack of comment on the issue on Tuesday. When contacted for comment, the state Attorney General’s Office cited its initial statement regarding the matter.
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