A deadly shooting involving a Sacramento County Sheriff’s gang unit detective and sergeant a week ago Friday has one family and community advocates calling for more transparency from the department.
The parents of Kershawn Geyger, family members and friends said they believe there are too many holes in what investigators have released about the shooting and that they have questions still unanswered.
The group of dozens gathered Friday outside the sheriff’s office on Garfield Avenue to raise their concerns and voice frustration.
“We just cannot sit back on a narrative that’s given to us by Sac Sheriff,” said community advocate Berry Accius. He went on to say, “What we wanted, what we hoped, is that there would be some transparency. You cannot give a re-enactment and give it to the community and expect them to say, ‘OK. Case closed.’”
Accius is referring to a 13-minute YouTube video released by the sheriff’s office Thursday which outlines its investigation into the shooting and what led up to it based on what it said were facts it has to date.
The sheriff’s office said investigators tracked-down Geyger last Friday night after he was allegedly seen on surveillance video from south Sacramento County initiating the firing of shots in a parking lot where many were gathered, including at least two small children.
More shots are fired by others in the parking lot before Geyger is seen getting into a silver Kia Soul with another man and a small child and taking off, according to investigators.
That incident, at roughly 6:20 p.m., is what investigators said prompted detectives with the sheriff’s gang enforcement unit to track down Geyger to an area of Carmichael where the deadly exchange took place.
The sheriff’s office said they found Geyger with the other man they believe traveled with him as the two were switching out vehicles. The sheriff’s office made contact with the men, and initially, both men complied with demands to put their hands in the air. As a detective approached the car, he said he saw a gun and shouted, “Gun, gun, gun!”
The sheriff’s office said that’s when Geyger shot the detective and wounded him. The detective returned fire as Geyger got out of the car and continued firing.
Eventually, Geyger was hit and killed by gunfire.
“How do the police let somebody grab a gun when their hands are up, shoot, get out and shoot some more?” Yaphette Geiger, Kershawn Geyger’s mother asked. “Y’all telling me it makes sense? It don’t.”
“It’s something called due process and he shoulda been afforded that opportunity,” said Geyger’s father, Jethro Geiger.
According to Geyger’s family and community advocates, the sheriff’s office narrative of what happened doesn’t give the full picture. They said there should have been body camera or dashboard camera video of the incident.
“We’re asking as a community, why the hell don’t you have body cameras?” questioned Accius. “If you had body cameras, we would know exactly how to feel about this situation. Where are the body cams at?”
Currently, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and its personnel don’t use body cameras. The department doesn’t have them. Some of its units do have dashboard camera video surveillance systems, but special operations units, like the gang suppression unit which was on this call, are not equipped with dash cams.
According to sheriff’s Captain Jim Barnes, commander of the North Division, body cams will be rolled out soon department-wide, however, it’s a complicated venture.
“It’s a huge process from purchasing, to making sure the technological support is there for storage,” Barnes explained. “Also the legalities to work out as far as what can and cannot be recorded, what can and cannot be released.”
Barnes said Sheriff Scott Jones is supportive of getting the body cameras and that the department “knows they’re needed.”
In a statement to KCRA 3, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Rod Grassmann further outlined a timeframe for body cam roll out. He indicated that:
“The schedule is for specialty units… to have body cams starting Feb 15, 2021, with a full sheriff’s office implementation by June 2021.
“This is, of course, barring any unexpected delays with the numerous vendors involved in the full rollout or unforeseen legal or contractual delays.”
Another major concern Geyger’s family raised at its gathering was the belief that investigators did not conduct enough witness interviews of people who lived near the incident or saw it happen.
The sheriff’s office said it’s trying to do just that, but sometimes, Barnes explained, people who’ve seen something like this don’t want to get involved and doors go unanswered when investigators try to make contact.
“We will do our best, knock on doors, and if people answer we’ll love their statements we would love to get information from anybody that would provide what happened,” Barnes said. “Ultimately in investigations we want to know why it happened because you don’t ever want that to happen again.”
The group of Geyger’s family and supporters demanded accountability from the sheriff’s office said they would accept findings that showed Geyger was in the wrong.
“Be transparent. We are OK with the truth. This is not us standing in the community, trying to waste anybody’s time,” said Accius. “If there was something done. If those two young men in the car were suspects, then show us the evidence.”
Accius continued, “The beautiful thing about this family. The beautiful thing about this mom and dad… they are saying, ‘If my son did something we can live with that.’ But you’re not showing that their son did something.”
Barnes said that the investigation into this incident is still underway and that everything will be made available through the proper channels — including information about the round that struck and wounded the sheriff’s detective. The family wants to know whether that was from Geyger’s weapon or from one of the other law enforcement officers on the scene.
“As information comes out, if it is deemed appropriate to put to the public, I believe that would happen,” he said.
Geyger’s family for now remains committed to learning more information.
“He may not have meant anything to any of you, but that was my child and I love him,” said Yaphette Geiger. “I understand that all of us got to go one day but nobody should go like that.”
https://jagongrebus.medium.com/horoscope-today-astrological-prediction-for-january-24-a3bcd1280814
Full Series Euphoria Special Episode Part 2 Watch Online Full Episode
Vodlocker™~R! WATCH] Euphoria Special episode Part 2 Online Full HD Free
Vodlocker™~R! WATCH] Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 7 Online Full HD Free
Vodlocker™~R! WATCH] Heartland Season 14 Episode 3 Online Full HD Free
Vodlocker™~R! WATCH] Charmed Season 3 Episode 1 Online Full HD Free