Savannah Graziano Obituary, Deeath – The time on September 27, 2022, when deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office were searching for Savannah Graziano. Anthony, her father, was thought to have taken her after her mother was shot dead the day before. Deputies stopped Anthony Graziano’s car on the side of the interstate in Hesperia, which is 80 miles east of Los Angeles. As soon as Savannah got out of the car, they opened fire, killing her. Following the tragedy, protests broke out around the nation, with many people questioning how the police officers who saved the boy ended up dead.
Officials from the sheriff’s office said that when Savannah got out of the car, the deputies did not identify her as a human being, and it was not apparent if her father or them had shot her. For almost two years, the shooting film was kept locked. But on Friday, more than a dozen video recordings were sent to freelance journalist Joey Scott, who had asked for the department’s data eighteen months prior. The tapes provided with the Guardian show deputies firing rounds at Savannah as she obeys their directions to approach them. The films also feature aerial shots of the incident.
The audio suggest that the girl was shot by deputies, and two police officers mentioned that she had left. The sheriff’s narration of the video makes it further clearer that deputies, not her father, killed her. The sheriff’s office declined to comment. The film will only serve to increase public scrutiny of the department, which is already under fire in the wake of the shooting death of 15-year-old Ryan Gainer, who has autism, at the hands of sheriff’s deputies last month. Ryan was having a mental health episode when two deputies encountered him and shot him dead in a matter of seconds. The death raised questions about the use of lethal force against minors and the inability to defuse situations.
Authorities claim that on September 26, 2022, outside of a Fontana school, Savannah’s father fired fire on her mother, who was his divorced wife, as well as another parent and his child. This is what allegedly started the search for Savannah. Authorities indicated that day that they thought Savannah’s father might have taken her or abducted her, and as a result, they released an Amber alert.
The following morning, a 911 operator noticed Graziano’s pickup truck and Savannah at a gas station. When the authorities noticed Graziano speeding on a nearby highway, a wild chase broke out. Deputies were fired upon as they approached the automobile, according to the department, which published pictures of the damaged vehicles. The video released to the public on Friday sheds more light on what transpired next. Anthony Graziano is seen racing through traffic in helicopter footage from the California Highway Patrol. He loses traction while attempting to drive up an embankment, and cops pursue him.
The tape shows that Savannah exited the vehicle as soon as it stopped close to the deputies. “Girl is out, the girl is out, guys,” a California Highway Patrol member said over the radio. She’s over on the passenger side. Her period of hunching over, which lasts for around 10 seconds, is captured on camera before she approaches a group of seven police officers. Abruptly, there’s an explosion that sounds like one of the deputies is shooting her, but the department has now blurred Savannah out. The dispatcher for the CHP is saying, “Oh no.”
Even while not every deputy had a body camera, the one nearest to the girl was able to transmit audio from her belt to the department. The sound of gunfire can be heard in the recording as the deputy yells, “Passenger, get out!” The deputy cries, “Come to me!” following. Get up, get up, get up… Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.
Then he exclaims, “Hey! Give up! Give up the gunfire already! He’s in the car, oh no! The distant sound of gunfire could be heard after he ordered them to stop. The recording was cited in the sheriff’s statement as saying, “You can hear [a deputy] calling her over and telling other deputies that the person who exited the truck was the passenger and for them to stop firing, but it was too late.”
Savannah was declared dead at the hospital. Deputies also shot Anthony, however it’s unclear from the video when he was shot and killed there. It’s unknown how many police officers fired at Savannah or how many rounds actually hit her. The department said that Savannah was wearing “tactical gear and a helmet” as she departed, even though it is difficult to see what she was wearing on the video.
From the facts that was made public last week, it is also unclear who fired rounds at the officers from inside Graziano’s car. The sheriff’s office claims that Graziano may have been shooting at law enforcement and that Savannah might have also been engaged. The department claims that they are now investigating “this aspect” of the event.
CJ Wyatt, Savannah’s uncle, acknowledged that the police had difficulties in handling the situation, but he firmly felt that his niece shouldn’t have been shot. In order to stop the murder of unarmed people, he underlined the necessity for greater training. We have to change our approach, and this movie could be used as instruction. She avoided the worst outcome.
He claims that although the footage appears to show a disorganized police response, one of the deputies who called Savannah appeared to be making an effort to assist her. It was sad, and he regretted that there had been a misunderstanding. How was he any different from the others, given that he was clearly aware that it was Savannah?
In the end, Wyatt claimed, Savannah’s father—who was “abusive and manipulative”—was at fault. “She wasn’t deserving of this; at her core, she was a really sweet girl,” he said. Before her parents divorced, Savannah had spent a few weeks living in her father’s truck. Graziano tragically killed Tracy Martinez, his sister. He described her as “a caring individual,” a devoted mother, and a diligent worker in the pharmaceutical sector in his eulogy. He conveyed his hope that more victims of abuse will come forward and ask for help.
Civil rights lawyer Sharon Brunner of San Bernardino County said that she saw the video for the Guardian and saw that it appeared as though no one was in charge of organizing the police’s strategies. She suggested that there may have been “contagious” fire, with deputies’ gunfire serving as an inspiration for other people to start shooting. When it comes to preparing its police officers for situations such as these, San Bernardino County falls short. Their ruthless tactic is to “shoot first, ask questions later,” she continued.
She said, “It sounds like the wild, wild west and an innocent child lost her life because of it,” suggesting that additional steps may have been done to control the environment and guarantee Savannah’s safety. Jim Terrell, a local civil rights lawyer, asserted that the incident was typical of the police department’s use of “undisciplined fire power.” He said, “A flurry of gunfire, anxiety, and fear have replaced assessment and cover.”
The California Department of Justice has decided to pursue the matter in response to a provision that requires inquiries into police shootings of unarmed individuals. The names of the police officers involved are unknown. The department is already having trouble, and the video only makes matters worse. The agency was already under heat for shooting Ryan Gainer, but last week’s video of a Hesperia deputy punching and kneeing an apprehended man made matters worse. December saw the resignation of a sheriff’s officer who had been detained on suspicion of cocaine intoxication. Cases of unlawful arrest and wrongful death were also brought against the sheriff’s office in the previous year.
