SFPD officers in fatal officer-involved shooting did not activate body-worn cameras during pursuit
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Charles Grayson says his wife still can't believe their only child is gone.
VIDEO: Community outraged after bodycam footage of fatal SF officer-involved shooting released
"She's thinking any day he's going to walk in the house," said Grayson who is Keita O'Neil's father.
Last Friday, San Francisco Police say O'Neil carjacked a California State lottery van, then led officers on a pursuit through the Bayview to the Alice Griffith Housing Projects.
SFPD says O'Neil slowed the van, jumped out and ran towards a marked SFPD vehicle.
In video slowed down by ABC7 News you can see the SFPD officer in the passenger seat fire his weapon at O'Neil from inside his vehicle.
Police have said O'Neil was not armed.
"Not at all, not a pistol, nothing, didn't even have a knife," said Grayson.
The officer who shot O'Neil was just days out of the Police Academy.
"He didn't know what he was doing," Grayson continued.
A Field Training Officer was driving.
"Officers have to learn how to do the job and that's why you assign a training officer to them," said SFPD Chief William Scott.
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Chief Scott says the Field Training Officer did not activate his body worn camera.
The officer who fired the fatal shot activated his after the incident which is why there is video but no audio.
"When you turn the cameras on it goes back 30 seconds. The video will be captured but the sound starts when you turn it on," explained Chief Scott.
According to policy, officers shall activate body worn cameras during a vehicle pursuit. Neither officer in this case did.
"As a result we don't have critical evidence that could have told the whole story of what happened here," said San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi.
Adachi says his office has shared several instance with Chief Scott of officers not turning on their body cameras when they're required to.
"What good are body cameras if you don't turn them on," said Adachi.
The investigation is ongoing. Chief Scott says once complete SFPD will make a judgment on whether the body worn camera policies were violated or not.
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