Moment man, 43, raises his t-shirt-covered gun at cops and is shot dead at Huntington Beach where hundreds were gathered for US Surfing Open
- Ronnie Andrew Garcia, whose address is not known, was fatally shot by police
- He was pointing what appeared to be a gun at cops and refused orders to drop it
- The shooting happened Saturday afternoon in Huntington Beach, California, where hundreds were gathered to watch the U.S. Open surfing competition
- Footage of the shooting was taken by witnesses and shared on social media
This is the moment a man, 43, was shot dead by police in a barrage of bullets after he raised his covered gun at officers on a California beach.
Cellphone footage shows Ronnie Andrew Garcia holding what appears to be a handgun under his T-shirt and stepping backward as he aimed it toward approaching Huntington Beach officers.
After initial shots were fired, Garcia could be seen writhing on the sand before reaching for the T-shirt again, prompting the cops to fire multiple bullets until he stopped moving.
A gun was found on the scene, police said.
The shooting happened about 3:15 p.m. Saturday in Huntington Beach, where hundreds of people were gathered to watch the nearby U.S. Open Surfing competition.
Witnesses said at least 10 shots were fired after the man refused to comply with police orders
Police arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a man walking on the beach with a gun
Ronnie Andrew Garcia, 43, appears to have pointed a gun at officers before being fatally shot
Police attempted to save Garcia, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital
Witnesses said two cops opened fire at Garcia at close range at the crowded California beach
Huntington Beach police said they arrived to the scene to investigate reporters of a ‘suspicious man with a gun’ at the beach.
They ordered the Hispanic man to drop his weapon numerous times before shooting him, police said in a press release.
Previously-released footage shows two officers opening fire at the man at point blank range.
Witnesses said at least ten shots were fired.
It happened Sunday in Huntington Beach, Calif., where hundreds gathered to watch surfers
Shocked witnesses watched and screamed from the pier as the fatal shooting unfolded
It happened about 3:15pm on the sand, just south of the Huntington Beach Pier and near the pathway
Backup quickly arrived with the police setting up a perimeter to deal with the incident.
One eyewitness told TMZ police were chasing the man who had already been shot once by cops.
After jumping the wall he fell to the ground. Officers are said to have shouted orders for him to surrender his weapon but he refused.
‘We started hearing pop, pop, pop,’ said Hector Tovar who lives nearby to the OC Register. ‘I thought it was fireworks, that’s how many rounds there were.’
Hundreds of people were gathered at Huntington Beach at the time of the afternoon shooting
Witnesses say three police officers were pursuing a man in a white t-shirt and jean shorts as he passed under the pier. Police said he had a gun and refused to drop the weapon
An ambulance was quickly on scene and the man was taken to hospital by ambulance
A portion of the beach was closed while paramedics attended and the man was loaded into an ambulance
The shooting took place near to a packed Huntington Beach where the US Open of Surfing is taking place
‘I thought I heard fireworks — when I turned around these cops were following the guy,’ Ana Leticia said on Twitter. ‘Then they shot him.’
A large portion of the beach was taped off while police investigated.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will now lead the investigation into the officer involved shooting.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will now lead the investigation into the officer involved shooting.
Local activists are calling for the officers involved to be held accountable, according to Tory Johnson, a founding member of Black Lives Matter in Huntington Beach.
‘This is what we’re fighting. We’re fighting police aggression, whether they are black, brown, purple,’ Johnson said. ‘What we are saying is you can’t go around killing minorities, and you can’t treat people a certain way just because they look different from you, or they don’t fit the mold of an average citizen in our city.’
The U.S. Open of Surfing, an annual weeklong competition next to the Huntington Beach pier, ended yesterday.
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