A teen who died while police attempted to arrest her father was fatally shot by the arresting officers, audio and video of the incident now show.
As Blaze News previously reported, in September 2022, an Amber Alert was issued in California after 45-year-old Anthony Graziano allegedly kidnapped his daughter, 15-year-old Savannah Graziano, after murdering her mother, Tracy Martinez. The following day, Graziano’s vehicle was spotted on I-15, and a lengthy, high-speed police chase involving gunfire soon followed.
Eventually, Graziano’s disabled truck came to a stop along the I-15 shoulder in Hesperia, California, near Victorville. Graziano was behind the wheel, and Savannah was sitting in the passenger seat. Police had the vehicle surrounded.
At that point, Savannah exited the vehicle, reportedly wearing tactical gear but apparently carrying no weapon. She then began walking toward the arresting officers. Suddenly, shots rang out again, and both Savannah and Graziano were fatally struck.
According to initial reports from San Bernardino Sheriff Shannon Dicus, shots were fired from inside the suspect’s vehicle during the incident, and “several rounds” pierced “the windshield of the patrol unit.” There were even suggestions that at least one of the shots came from the passenger side of Graziano’s truck, prompting speculation that Savannah may have fired at police at some point or that officers fired at her in self-defense.
Now, 18 months after the incident, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department has released police audio and video footage of the shooting, revealing that police shot and killed Savannah, though the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
Footage from a police helicopter captures an officer repeatedly stating over the radio that shots have been fired as the truck comes to a stop along the shoulder. Moments later, Savannah walks out of the vehicle, takes several steps toward police vehicles, crouches down on the ground, stands back up, and takes a few more steps before collapsing to the ground once again after at least one bullet strikes her, video shows.
“Oh, no!” an officer says, according to the helicopter footage.
Audio captured by a deputy on the ground provides even more details about Savannah’s final moments. At first, the deputy can be heard instructing the “passenger” in the vehicle to “get out” and walk toward him.
“Come here! Come here! Come to me! Come to me!” he says. “Come, come, come, come! Walk, walk, walk, walk!”
However, the unnamed deputy quickly changes his tune when his fellow officers began shooting at her. “Stop! Stop shooting her! He’s in the car! Stop!” he exclaims.
“She’s OK! He’s in the car! Stop!” he continues.
Unfortunately, Savannah had already been mortally wounded. Life-saving measures were attempted at the scene, and Savannah was soon taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The sheriff’s office has confirmed that both Savannah and her father died from shots fired by law enforcement.
The California Department of Justice and the sheriff’s office are still investigating the incident, and the names of the deputies involved have not been released. Authorities stated that these video and audio accounts are still considered “preliminary” and insisted that the course of the investigation could still change.
Savannah’s uncle CJ Wyatt, however, sees his niece’s death as an avoidable tragedy. “There needs to be better training so that unarmed people aren’t killed,” Wyatt told the Guardian. “Hopefully this video can be used for training – something has to be done differently.
“She didn’t have to die.”
Savanna Graziano: California Amber Alert teen dies in San Bernardino County shootout
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!