According to police the man had a knife so apparently, that explains why the man is seen getting shot to death by two deputies. But according to eye witnesses and video, it appears the man’s final moment alive was standing with his hands raised above his head.
The incident comes at a time when law enforcement officers are under scrutiny for how and when they resort to lethal force. The killings of several individuals by police over the past year have heightened tensions with the communities they serve, especially among minorities.
Michael Thomas said the scrutiny of officer-involved shootings is the reason he recorded the first video on his cell phone from the driver’s seat of his car.
CNN affiliate KSAT broadcast his video, which is disturbing as it shows Flores being shot.
In it, Flores is shirtless, running in front of a home in San Antonio as the two sheriff’s deputies approach him as they investigate a domestic violence call.
“As the guy and police were going back and forth, the man acted like he was going to run back inside his house and then ran around the cars by the cop car and the cops started pursuing closer to him,” Thomas told CNN.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has said Flores had a knife and was resisting arrest when deputies approached him.
“He put his hands in the air and then he had his hands up for a few seconds and the cops shot him twice,” Thomas told CNN.
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