Mar 25 2013
The Nation: Life, Death and Accountability in Anaheim
Twenty-five-year-old Manuel Diaz was hanging out in Anaheim on a sunny Saturday last July when two officers began to approach him. Diaz ran off, and Anaheim police officers Nick Bennallack and Brett Heitman pursued him. Moments later, Bennallack shot and killed Diaz—who was unarmed—on an apartment complex lawn. This week, the Orange County District Attorney’s office ruled that the shooting was justified.
Video taken immediately after the shooting is chilling. One bystander frustratingly screams out, “He’s still alive! Call the cops!” Officers on the scene appear confused and frantic, and eager to push back the growing crowd—but never once check Diaz’s vitals. Another bystander’s voice is heard in Spanish, encouraging witnesses to capture what’s happening on video by reminding them that “The law allows you to tape [officers].”
That video sparked outrage last year, as residents took to the streets in protest. Those demonstration were met with increasing violence from Anaheim police—who used K9 dogs and fired beanbag bullets at dangerously short ranges against not only men and women, but against toddlers as well.
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