California police video shows fatal shooting of 19-year-old
FRESNO POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA AP
Police body-camera video released by Fresno Police Department, a police officer points a gun toward Dylan Noble showing his back next to his pickup truck as the officer moves towards Noble walking away from the officer in Fresno, Calif.
FRESNO POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA AP
In this image made from police body-camera video released by Fresno Police Department, a police officer points a gun at Dylan Noble in Fresno, Calif.
FRESNO, Calif. >> Fresno police today released body-camera video of officers fatally shooting a 19-year-old man who ignored repeated commands to stand still and show his hands.
At a news conference, Chief Jerry Dyer acknowledged the video is gruesome, but he said it was important for the public to see. He said he prays it won’t spark violence amid simmering anti-police sentiment in Fresno and elsewhere.
“Tensions are high,” Dyer said. “In some cases we are one spark away from a forest fire. And I pray this video doesn’t serve as that spark … This is not a time to become violent.”
The June 25 video shows officers, who were looking for a man with a rifle, pulling over Dylan Noble, who got out of his truck and walked away from and then toward two officers.
He didn’t comply with commands, and then he is heard saying he hates his life. One officer fired twice with a pistol. Noble fell and was shot again on the ground as he moved his arms. An officer fired a fourth shot with a shotgun.
Dyer said officers believed Noble was reaching for a weapon, but it turned out he was holding a small plastic box.
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The video was shown last week to Noble’s father and stepfather. His mother, who declined to watch the videos, is seeking damages from the city for her son’s death.
Stuart Chandler, the attorney for Noble’s mother, Veronica Nelson, put out a statement saying that he urged the police chief to release the video today. “We are pleased to discover from the media that Chief Dyer is belatedly providing the body camera footage to the general public,” Chandler said.
Dyer said he intended to make the video public last Friday, but he held off because of the shooting deaths of police in Dallas the night before.
The video shows Noble first draw officers’ attention when he screeched his tires in their search for an armed man.
Noble pulls into a gas station, and officers order him to put both hands out of the window. Noble puts his left hand out the window, concealing his right hand, and officers shout “both your hands!”
Noble gets out of the truck and walks away from officers, at first putting both hands in the air. He turns around and walks toward officers, raising his left hand but putting his right hand behind his back.
“Get on the ground now!” officers continually shout. One yells: “Drop whatever you have in your hand!”
He continues to walk toward officers with his right hand concealed and his left hand in the air.
“You’re going to get shot, man,” one officer says.
Then the first two shots are fired in rapid succession as Noble shouts out and falls to the ground. On the ground he continues reaching under his shirt, the video shows.
“Quit reaching for what you’ve got,” one officer shouts.
After several seconds the same officer fires one more shot, then seconds later a third officer approaches with a shotgun and fires the fourth and final shot.
Noble’s mother and attorney said in a claim filed with the city that the officers used excessive force, and they called the death inexcusable. The claim does not say how much Nelson seeks from the city.
Dyer, who has asked the FBI do its own investigation into the shooting, said he has yet to conclude if officers used excessive force.
79 responses to “California police video shows fatal shooting of 19-year-old”
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Sounds like a clean kill by the police.
To bad the good old days where cops could say “Stop or I’ll Shoot” are gone when perps were walking/running away from the cops.
Yes, the Constitution can be such a bother for people who love beating their chests to show how tough they are.
Good riddance.
Hopefully those cops will be gone for good. I hope our cops are not like that.
Hopefully they are gone when you need em Boots.
Not to mention compensating for being born with a tiny penis that a gun replaces
Yes where is the NRA? Even if this person had a gun which apparently he didn’t, the second amendment gives him that right. So these cops are destroying the constitution by killing people due to their imaginary fears.
The suspect bluffed and got shot. Bluffing that you have a bomb on an airplane will result in just as serious consequences so he got what was coming to him for bluffing that he had a gun.
And please stop posting nonsense about the NRA, it has nothing to do with this case, your comments are pretty much trolling about the NRA throughout this forum.
Just curious dragoninwater, how do you know he was “bluffing”? He could have been hard of hearing or mentally challenged or a host of other conditions.
Please explain why the NRA shouldn’t be concerned? The point is dragon, is that people have the right to bear arms so even if he had a gun, the cops did not have the right to gun him down. So much for the second amendment.
Fact is guns make people less safe and cases like this just proves it.
Ah just beat it donkey. Your comments are useless!
sounds like a “death by cop” scenario.
So, where is the FBI, where is the Just-Us departments whirlwind investigation?
Oh,it’s a white guy.
Is it? I couldn’t tel.l
He looks hispanic.
probably a “white Hispanic?”
Does donald ok white hispanics?
Not so fast SteveToo. Some LEOs blindly think it is ok for all of them on the scene to yell different commands at the top of their voices and if the person does not comply to blow them away. When asked what if the person has mental issues, deaf, under the influence of legal drugs, does not speak the language, a thousand other reasons, the usual reply is “Not my problem.” Really?
Firing a shotgun on a person already on the ground sounds more like murder when no weapon is visible. Not to mention you have LEO’s in top physical condition (Well, some are, others are Chief Wiggums of the Simpsons) trained in the latest take down techniques, armed with Tasers, pepper sprays, and all they can do is pull the trigger? Really?
Not saying this happens in every case but as we have seen on videos, there are a small percentage of “Rogue Cops” who need to find a job they can do to standard.
4 options when a Officer stops you…
1. Obey & comply.
2. Wrongly arrested, sue.
3. Resist and suffer the consequences.
4. Suicide by Cop.
Noble went with the #3 option & possibly #4 option.
Easy to say wrongfully arrested, sue but this is not easy. It is easier today thanks to video cameras but it will still be an uphill battle as many feel cops are just doing their job. Often they are not, they just love showing how tough they are. This cop brutality needs to end and the cops who are guilty of it need to be prosecuted to the fullest.
“they just love showing how tough they are”
I do not think we get far by making proclamations about someone’s inner state of mind, something we can scarcely know.
Someone could as easily say to you that “you are only saying this because you love to show off your superpower knowledge of people’s motives”
Returning to the facts, the guy was hiding something behind his back and coming towards the officers. He was told to bring his hand into sight, which he did not.
You don’t wait until you get shot at to find out what it was.
However, unless you are in the habit of getting arrested, you may not be practiced in knowing what to do, in following instructions to the T.
I cannot help wondering if there was some exit from this, such as when the guy was on the ground the cops ducking behind the car and waiting a minute to see if he actually pointed a gun in their direction.
This is tricky if there were other people in the immediate area.
Something to introduce a little time, something to interrupt a scenario that was obvious to the cops but maybe not the suspect.
No weapon was presented or seen, so it’s going to be very hard to justify the use of the shotgun after the man was already so badly injured by the earlier (probably not justified) gunshots. It’s going to be difficult to convince a jury that the man remained a threat to the police. I don’t envy the defense team.
A lack of compliance is not sufficient cause to shoot someone to death.
Agree totally, although truthfully after watching the video I think he was moments from death before the third and fourth shots were fired. That’s just my impression and, of course, even if that were the case it wouldn’t justify those last two shots. Suppose he did have a gun on his person and had grabbed it at that point, he was incapable of using it effectively. Firing a shotgun blast into someone who’s incapacitated on the ground, my God.
Lack of compliance is sufficient reason to shoot if the officer feels the violator may hide a weapon. An officers life is thousands times more valuable than a violators life.
Says who? Lack of compliance is not sufficient reason to shoot. The person has to present an imminent threat to the officer. These cops need to stop being filled with imaginary fears.
“These cops need to stop being filled with imaginary fears.”
There you go again, your superpower ability to know the inner state of mind not only of specific individuals, but whole classes of people.
Go ahead and do the same thing this guy did and update us with your results to this forum afterwards. haaaaa
Cricket, I don’t need to know exactly what was going on in the minds of these cops. Facts speak for themselves. A person was assassinated, even if you believe that this person was hiding a gun. He has a second amendment right to a gun and he sure wasn’t pointing it at anyone. Why isn’t the NRA speaking up about this? How is one to protect themselves from the tyranny of government if they are assassinated with no questions asked?
dragoninwater, don’t know why this thing started? Do you? Can’t do the same thing if I don’t know what started it? Was he speeding, no turn signal? Do you know?
In any event, I don’t think Hawaii cops would react like this primarily because we don’t have the gun problem many places on the mainland has. I have been stopped by cops more than once and no one has acted like this. How about you?
Boots, you keep missing the main point here: if there is the possibility that an officer or another person is in danger of severe bodily harm, then the officers or civilians for that matter, have the right to self defense. they do not have to wait and see if there is a gun, period end of story. Get off your soap box because it does not belong to this scenario! They used proper escalation of force and any judge in any county will throw out this mother and father’s case.
Boots, you just answered your own question with this statement: “I have been stopped by cops more than once and no one has acted like this.”
That statement you made is exactly why you’re not dead. If you would have acted like this guy you’d likely be dead too. Put yourself in the cops shoes, what would you have done if the guy reached behind his back and kept refusing to show what he’s got in his hand?
Hmmm…a suspect refuses police orders at a traffic stop with guns pointed at him and then suspect advances toward police with guns pointed to his person with gesturing in such a way that would suggest a weapon is behind his back. I for one would not want to wait to find out what he really has there if my life where dependent on it. Life’s decisions make you or break you. This guy made a bad decision and that is that. Done and gone.
That is enough for me. Shoot the SOB.
Allaha – normally I agree with you but NOT in this case. No cops life is worth more than the people he should be protecting. The “suspect” was a suspect and not a violator. They will find that the “suspect” had nothing to do with the rifle. So now he’s dead on a hunch? That’s justified? Could there have been a better approach? Just because a cop “thinks” you’re the suspect does that give them the right to shoot?
More and more we get our rights taken from us by the police and more and more they are found to be justified in killing citizens. If these cops fear for their lives, they are in the wrong profession. You better hope you don’t have a run-in with one of these scared, out of control, people with guns (police).
It IS when you’re a poorly trained, macho, bully carrying a gun. Poor insecure cops, the guy has THREE bullets in him, but the 4th guy has to join the fun so he can BRAG to his fellow cops that HE got a shot in too !! The 1st 2 shots can be justified because nobody KNEW what he was reaching for, but the 4th ?? C’mon man, he should be charged with attempted murder………..
you only assume he only has a gun as his weapon…. what if he had and explosive vest on or his truck was full of C4 and the trigger was in his pants pocket? the cops have every right to use deadly force towards his noncompliance….every right.
Lets see if you have the same opinion when one of your family member is in the same situation…
With 7 billion people overpopulating this planet, the cops are only thinning out the heard of criminals, unfortunately this suspect decided to join the few stupid and mentally deranged so if you have a family member in the same situation I beg you to have them seek psychological help or call the cops and have them lock up your mentally ill and unstable family members as they pose a threat to all law abiding citizens.
makes no difference if it is my mother, sister, brother or myself. Morals, principles and ethics are not altered due to familial status. It just makes it sadder that the pompous a.. is related to me!
This isn’t: lets see or what-a-could-a-should. This guy, like all of the other men involved in police shootings in the press lately, were encountered by police because of criminal behavior. He was not hunted, he and the others became of interest to police because of breaking or being suspected of breaking the law. You know those laws that keep civilized societies civilized. I for one don’t want to have a lawless society.
If you attract the interest of the police for whatever reasons just comply and settle the issue. If you have done no wrong then you go home. If you messed up; well then you go to jail.
There is no denying that these cases involved criminal behavior of some sort that escalated because of noncompliance by those being investigated. You make the decision in your life that guide the path it will take. Live with it or die with it.
Or the little thing could have been a remote trigger to a satellite to set off bombs throughout California. You see how this is getting ridiculous? That last shotgun blast was murder.
This is all very sad, but it does sound like a version of Suicide By Cop.
Hardly. This is just an assassination by the police. This needs to stop.
I have to agree with you based on the video showing him saying that he hated his life. Guess I’m old school if a cop pulls me over tells me to do something and I do the opposite, that I can expect bad things to happen to me. I wouldn’t want to give the police any reason to believe I have something to hide when they are pointing a gun at me. But most (not all) of the recent killings seem to show people not being compliant with the police’s orders. Do what the police tell you and after it’s over and you are still alive, complain about your treatment.
To clarify, I’m agreeing with Tutulois not Boots
Imminent danger to self and others? Based on article as written it clearly indicate…..??
The video is shocking and mind boggling. Yes, the man didn’t comply, but he posed no threat to the officers. He displayed no weapon, had no gun pointed at then, never threatened them harm, etc. Disobeying an officer’s command in this case, like many others, is no justification to execute someone on the spot. America has many of its own own problems to solve, not the least of which is what amounts to these police death squads. It’s been going on for years but only now exploding on social media because of cell phone videos and body cams. The cops involved in these kind of shootings are some of the biggest cowards with the lowest IQs and massive inferiority complexes. Morons with guns and badges are a deadly combination that will/are having a chilling effect on our society.
You just don’t get it do you? Police aren’t trained to WAIT until someone points a gun at them because by that time it will be too late. Once a suspect reaches into a pocket or some other concealed area where there could be a gun or nothing, the officer is justified to use whatever force necessary to protect themselves and the public. It sounds like you didn’t even bother to watch the video where both officers repeatedly warn the suspect to get his hands where they can see them and stop reaching for whatever it is he’s reaching for. Jeez!
I do get it. Any fool could see he had nothing in his pocket. A gun has an imprint that can be seen. There was none here. He just refused to comply. Ultimately, a jury will decide because in cases like these we have diametrically opposed views. A microcosm of our society.
And of course this person could clearly hear because we all know he had perfect hearing? Bad assumption. This person could be hard of hearing or he may be mentally challenged, or some other challenge that many people in society have to deal with. For cops to just shoot, should not be tolerated! This person did not present a threat and even if he had a gun, he didn’t aim it at police. Again where is the NRA when you need them. Why are they so silent? Don’t they defend the right to bear arms as protection against an over zealous government? Seems to me the NRA should be suing this police department for not respecting the second amendment.
Wow! Just wow…I really hope neither of you are cops. You make a great case for home defense and stand your ground laws since I wouldn’t be able to rely on cops like you both.
Dude, the kid has two bullets in his torso. Do you really believe he can hear anything when your dying? Where do your hands go when you have a wound? Dude, it goes to hold your wound. The cops with the shot gun had tunnel vision. We saw that both hands were cleared by the cam. He didnt? Let’s see, one officer engages and shoot 2.rounds, officer two shoots, then the shotgun blast. That way the bar room chatter would be lively and all could talk “war” story. One thing ,officer 1 had his gun on the steering wheel while driving,dumb. Then he parked in line with the truck,dumb. You cross park your cruiser, at a 45 degree angle, so you have ample cover as you command. Try having 3 people yelling commands lace with profanity.
If he had just done what they wanted, he’d be alive today. Cops gave him every chance to comply. Perhaps a stun gun would have been a better option but cops felt he had a weapon when he refused to show his right hand.
yup
lol, and if the cops had any respect for the constitution, especially the second amendment which gives a person the right to bear arms, this person would be alive too. But they obviously don’t respect a person’s right to bear arms so he is dead, shot down like a wild animal.
The first two shots were justified. After those two shots and he was on the ground, the cops were pretty close so couldn’t they just run up to him to secure him?
THis is a stinking joke, they were close enough to taze the young man, they could have rushed him once they shot the kid. This is not a justified kill in any sense, I am not a cop hater but I am concerned how the body cams can be used to support unjustified kills. The young man could have been subdued in many ways…… The officer with the shotgun could have used the rubber bullets to stun him….. a shot to the upper torso with the rubber bullets could have done the trick. With all that is going the less the Police have to use deadly force the better #stopthekillings
And what if he did have a weapon? With so many people armed, it’s hard to tell. Cops deserve to go home too. #followinstructions
So you are against the second amendment? So what if he had a gun. He has that right does he no? Just because he has a gun does not mean he would use it against a police officer.
Simply because you have a keyboard doesn’t mean you’re gonna make ridiculous comments, right?
You sound like someone who wants/believes police should/can shoot tires on vehicles speeding towards them. You know that’s Hollywood right? Right??
That is the frickin’ problem here. To much of peoples reality is what they see in the movie theater or on TV these days.
“His mother, who declined to watch the videos, is seeking damages from the city for her son’s death.”>>>Ignorance is bliss. So, she chooses to sue while choosing to not see why she shouldn’t. Hope she’s held for ALL legal costs incurred for her choices.
You’d want to see your son gunned down by a bunch of scared cops? Not me!
My son would follow commands from a police officer. Non-issue.
This young man was either not in his right mind, or wanted suicide by cop. Did the cops have an attack dog, bean bag gun or tasers? After being shot twice, why didn’t the cops simply rush to his prone position and immobilize his hands? There is strong evidence of a lack of training. The cops who fired the last two shots have some serious explaining to do. I smell lawsuit, job loss and possible jail time.
This was a suicide plain and simple. Too bad the cop has to suffer the consequences.
The last 2 shots were probably uncalled for but then again this is a common standard protocol to completely eliminate any risk if anyone is making any attempts to kill/injure cops even if the suspect is bluffing. It’s clear that the suspect blatantly ignored numerous requests to show both hands and then proceeded to bluff that he might have a weapon. If I were in a self defense situation as these cops I too would have shot him. It’s an unfortunate choice the poor suspect made but in my view they did what they absolutely had to and I’m sure anyone in these cops shoes would have acted the same way.
Seems like a case of suicide by cop assisted by excessive force. The first 2 shots seem justified. He was warned multiple times to stop approaching the police. The arm behind his back could have been reaching for or holding a weapon. He kept coming with his hand hidden behind his back. He was a rapidly increasing threat. The first 2 shots dropped him to the ground. I’m not sure if the 3rd shot was justified. He was already on the ground, arms flopping about randomly. He may have been in shock and unable to communicate at that point. The 4th shot, a shotgun blast, may be questionable. The guy no longer appears to be a threat. It’ll be interesting to see if the first 2 shots were fatal or if he might’ve survived if the 3rd or 4th shots weren’t fired. I guess we’ll learn more as the investigation progresses. We can’t rule out drugs and alcohol for the victim’s bizarre behavior. Perhaps the police are aware of cases where a similarly downed suspect reached for a weapon and shot at police. A very sad and unfortunate event that shouldn’t have happened. All involved are victims in this case. Hopefully some good will come out of this in terms of training for officers in walking the fine line between justifiable and excessive force. In the end, the bottom line may be the need to modify standard operating procedures or to confirm current practice.
Officers need to be trained and civilians need to be trained on what to do and what not to do when the police pull them over.
Civilians have been trained on what to do. It’s even stated in your driving handbook when you applied for your drivers license. Ignorance just keeps perpetuating but if anyone needs a refresher course here one that everyone should follow… http://bit.ly/1sfmMU3
Lets see if Obama or Hilary comes out with a statement. I seriously doubt it since it was Cop on White instead of Cop on Black and there is no political benefit for them. What a couple of losers.
Give me a break. Oh wait, only black lives matter right? Either way what they gotta say and what you gotta say all make no sense anyway.
Dude’s own fault that he got shot. “Suicide by cop” is what he was seeking, and he got it.
I’m with you Steve, take the Minnesota case. I’d like to hear the police radio recording as to why he was pulled over in the first place. His baby mama is changing her story while I’ve seen a cctv photo in a convenience store armed robbery, that is a dead (sorry) ringer for Castile.
Of course the politically corrected Gov. Dayton, scion to the Dayton Donaldson fortunes, who has never had a real job, tearfully cites racism in the case in which he sobbed that a white man wouldn’t be treated that way.
Well, he’s partially right. A white man would not be treated that way, because any cop knows that he has far less to worry about when pulling over a white man than a black man going for his pocket when told no to.
Waiting for the shooting of a teen that was bluetooth plug, jaywalking, and not listening to officers (earplugs). He was waving an object in a aggressive manner towards police. Dude was just doing Pokemon.
They should show more good job
An excellent video and glad it was turned on. Was the cop video cams turned on in the 2 black shootings? Did see any except the girlfriend’s smart camera recording. That was very smart and brave. She could have been nuts and too freaked out do anything. When is HPD going to start wearing these cams? Yeah, you’re working on it. A snail can beat you to this.
Being a police officer is not a job for the highly fearful, as these police officers clearly are. A police officer needs to be able to assess situations accurately, not fire away because they are quaking in their boots.
They’re not fearful, that’s why they shot him dead following full protocol hence their full release of the footage. A fearful cop would likely have retreated back to the squad car and called for even more backup and to give himself more time to think things through.
Many forget that Fresno’s population is almost 60% Mexican and has been growing at an alarming 10% a decade as the sheer rise in crimes by them has chased out other races by the droves due to many of the Mexicans being in gangs which are heavily tied to the Mexican drug cartels which in turn have kill hits out on cops on a daily basis. Cops don’t play silly games in such high crime areas as they are instructed to take out as much of the 3rd world country waste as possible to keep the rest of the law abiding citizens safe. This guy unfortunately tried to act like he had a weapon just like the thugs do and got what he asked for.
Sources:
FBI Crime Statistics: 1. http://bit.ly/1L92Y9b
Fresno, CA – Demographics: 2. http://bit.ly/29GJow3
One less PITA !!!