Police release bodycam video from fatal shooting between California sheriff deputy and armed suspect

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office has released bodycam footage of a fatal shooting that took place between a deputy and an armed suspect.

According to the sheriff’s office, the video released Wednesday shows what began as a traffic stop on Henry Road in Napa County, California.

Deputy Riley Jarecki, who captured the incident with her bodycam, approached the parked car around 11pm Sunday.

After briefly speaking with the driver, Javier Hernandez Morales, Jarecki then reportedly told Morales not to move as she walked around his car.

In the video, Jarecki can then be seen asking Morales to roll down the driver’s seat window several times before he finally complied, at which point he pulled out a .22 caliber pistol and shot at Jarecki.

The deputy responded by firing her own weapon multiple times, subsequently killing Morales.

Jarecki then radioed into police that shots had been fired.

At a press conference Wednesday, Napa County Undersheriff Jon Crawford said the incident was a clear case of attempted murder by Morales and self-defense by Jarecki, ABC 7 reported.

“The loss of life is something that we always take very seriously, either by this agency or by any other law enforcement agency,” Crawford said. “In this case however, Hernandez Morales made the choice to attempt to murder deputy Jarecki, and she responded accordingly.”

According to police, Morales had a history of criminal activity, including weapons violations, a DUI, and an assault. He had been booked into Napa County jail five times since 2015.

Jarecki was uninjured in the shooting.