Family of Orlando Man Shot by Police Seeks Answers After Viewing Body Camera Footage in Derek Diaz Shooting

Family and loved ones of Derek Diaz, who was fatally shot by police in Orlando, Florida, last week, are demanding answers after viewing officers’ body-worn camera footage of the encounter. The footage, released by the Orlando Police Department, has only raised more questions for Diaz’s family. Diaz, 26, was shot in the early hours of July 3 while sitting in a parked car. In the video, an officer can be seen approaching Diaz and asking him to put his hands on the steering wheel. Diaz then reaches towards the vehicle’s center console before an officer fires a single gunshot. Less than a minute passes between the officer’s approach and the shooting.

Officers rendered aid to Diaz until first responders arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The footage was shown to Diaz’s family before its release, but it provided little closure. Family attorney Natalie Jackson stated that the video left them with more questions than answers. One of the main questions raised by Diaz’s family is why the police initially approached him. The video shows Diaz “sitting peacefully in a legally parked car when he was aggressively approached by three armed police officers, and in less than one minute, he was shot,” according to Jackson.

In a statement accompanying the body camera footage, Orlando Police Chief Eric D. Smith said that officers proactively patrol to remove illegal drugs and crime guns from the streets. He added that the intersection where Diaz was confronted had experienced 431 incidents in the last 18 months. However, Jackson asserted that Diaz was unarmed and there was no gun in his vehicle.

Sonja Nava, the mother of Diaz’s young daughter, stated that the video does not show Diaz committing any wrongdoing. She emphasized that he was sitting in his car, doing nothing wrong, and in less than a minute, he was dead. Chief Smith acknowledged the need for answers and stated that the investigation process must be maintained to provide facts fairly and transparently. The investigation includes not only the body camera footage but also the collection of witness testimony.

The names of the officers present during the shooting have not been released. The officer who fired the shot was uninjured and has been placed on administrative leave. The Orlando Police Department is cooperating with a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the incident and will also conduct its own internal investigation. As Diaz’s family continues to seek answers, they hope that a thorough investigation will provide them with the truth about what happened to their loved one.

Original Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-07-13 09:36:00