Grover Beach police have released video of the deadly officer-involved shooting last month and identified the man killed in the incident.
Chief John Peters identified the man as 41-year-old Aaron Edward Gardner of Independence, Missouri, in a department video that shows how the incident unfolded and includes two clips of the shooting itself.
The body-camera video shows Gardner refusing to comply with an officer’s demand to raise his hands, before drawing a replica firearm and pointing it at the officer, who then fires four shots in return.
Peters told The Tribune that while the investigation is in the preliminary stages, he believes the officer acted accordingly given the threats he was faced with.
Deescalation is a priority for the Grover Beach Police Department, Peters told The Tribune, noting that this particular incident was “very dramatic and fast.”
He added that the Police Department’s goal is to protect the community daily, provide resources and assist people in need.
“It’s just a tragic situation we wish didn’t occur,” he told The Tribune. “At the same token, we didn’t make those choices. The officer was faced with a suspect that was armed, that stated he was armed and the officer took action to save his life and the life of others.”
Officer responds to report of man with firearm
Officers were first dispatched to Kautz Chevron at the corner of Grand Avenue and 13th Street at around 6:23 p.m. for reports of a man displaying a firearm to a person, the agency said in a news release. Officers did not locate the man and cleared the area.
About 12 minutes later, a 911 dispatch call showed, a bicyclist reported a “lunatic throwing rocks” and yelling near Nan’s Bookstore — across the street from the gas station — and described the man, now identified as Garner, as “definitely unstable” and “acting erratic.” The bicyclist said Gardner was wearing a wool cap and winter clothes at the time.
An officer arrived on the scene shortly after the call, Grover Beach police Cmdr. Jim Munro said in the video. As the officer exited his patrol car, Munro said, Gardner told the officer he had a gun and would shoot the officer.
Munro said the officer gave Gardner several commands to comply, but Gardner remained uncooperative and continued to threaten to shoot the officer with his gun.
The officer backed away from Gardner, Munro said, and Gardner walked toward the officer “quickly” and raised his right arm with a replica firearm in his hand.
The officer then fired his service weapon at Gardner, Munro said, and struck him “several times.”
Assisting officers and emergency medical services provided medical attention to Gardner at the scene, Munro said. He later died at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital.
Munro said the replica gun was found on the ground at the scene of the shooting.
The responding officer was a patrol officer with four years of service in the Grover Beach Police Department.
‘I got a real gun,’ suspect says before officer shoots him, video shows
The body camera footage from the incident first shows the responding officer driving his patrol vehicle and arriving at the scene.
As the officer exits the car, Gardner says “I got a gun” several times as he backs away from the side wall of a building.
The officer asks Gardner to show him his hands, to which Gardner replies, “No.”
The officer reports in his radio that the subject states he has a gun, and footage shows Gardner raising an arm at the officer while asking, “Who are you?”
The officer responds, “Hey, put the gun down” as he raises his own gun with both hands.
Gardner then repeats “I got a gun” and says “Give me your real gun.”
The officer asks Gardner to put his arms up and says “I don’t want to shoot you” twice.
Gardner responds, “I don’t want to shoot you, give me your real gun.”
The officer continues to ask Gardner to put his arms up, but his does not comply.
Gardner can then be heard saying, “I don’t want to shoot you … (unintelligible) I’m CIA.”
Video shows Gardner putting his arms down then raising his arms again stating, “I got a real gun motherf–ker.”
The officer continues to ask Gardner to put his arms up.
“I don’t want to hurt you, sir,” the officer says. “I will shoot you if I have to,” to which Gardner replies, “Good.”
As the officer is calling for backup, the man can be seen digging into the pockets or waistband of his shorts. Then he begins walking toward the officer, yelling “give me your gun” as the officer continues to ask him to put his arms up and tells Gardner he does not want to shoot him.
Gardner then suddenly raising his arm toward the officer, and the officer fires his gun four times.
Gardner then falls to the ground, and the officer reports “shots fired” in his radio.
The entire interaction lasted about 35 seconds.
Seconds after Gardner falls to the ground, a bystander calls out to the officer, “I saw the whole thing.”
The officer curses and asks the surrounding witnesses if they are OK.
Cellphone footage of the incident taken from the gas station across the street shows Gardner raising his arm holding the replica gun toward the officer before falling to the ground at the sound of gunshots.
What’s next in the shooting investigation?
Peters told The Tribune the agency’s next focus is completing the investigation and “helping the officer through this traumatic incident and making sure we give the officer the support that’s needed for proper healing.”
Peters saidin the video anytime a police officer is involved in a critical incident such as this, it is standard for them to be placed on paid administrative leave for a period of time after the incident. Officers can return to work after they’ve received health and wellness care, including a follow-up evaluation.
The initial investigation will be performed by Grover Beach Police Department’s detective’s bureau, which will then assist the California Department of Justice with an outside-agency investigation.
Peters said a second administrative investigation is done by the agency’s standard’s commission to determine whether the officer’s actions were within policy.
Peters said the California Department of Justice investigation is required because Gardner was unarmed.
“Though the decedent pointed a replica firearm at the officer, per state law he was considered unarmed,” Peters said.
Peters said the investigation is expected to take several months to complete.
He asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact Det. Jared Allegranza at 805-473-4511 or [email protected].
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