Ventura County Sheriff’s Office releases 911 call and body camera footage of deadly deputy-involved shooting
CAMARILLO, Calif. -- The Ventura County Sheriffs Department released the 911 call and body camera footage of the deadly deputy-involved shooting in Camarillo that occurred on October 4th.
New details confirm the man had autism and suffered from depression .
Twenty-four-year-old Austin Manzano called dispatchers, and said he was going to start shooting people. Monzano told the 911 operator he was carrying a loaded gun and knife.
“I just want to end it all,” said Manzano.
“When the deputies arrived Mr. Manzano apologized to the 911 dispatcher, dropped the phone, and advanced towards deputy Robert Medina,” said Sheriff Bill Ayub, from the Ventura County Sheriffs Department.
Sheriff Ayub said the deputy called for a less lethal bean bag gun once he got to the scene.
“Unfortunately, the incident unfolded rapidly and ended in a shooting before that could happen,” said Ayub.
Manzano was shot three times and later died. Investigators say the gun turned out to be a replica. The 911 call also revealed Manzano was autistic.
“What are you diagnosed with Austin?” said the 911 operator.
“Asperger’s, and depression,” said Manzano.
The autistic community in Ventura County says this may be part of a larger trend.
“We do not know any specifics on Mr. Manzano's situation,” said Carly Fulgham, who is the President at Autism society Ventura County. “Statically speaking the type of thing that leads to this is bullying, and just people not accepting us in the community. We actually have a suicide rate that is 10 times that of people without autism.”
Fulgham says the key to preventing future tragedies is to stop bullying.
The society works closely with local authorities, and beginning in January the organization is going to start looking into workshops for dispatchers, so they can learn how to best respond to someone with autism.
“It is just so devastating and so heartbreaking because he didn’t even give the first responders a chance to have another outcome, and to know that he was at that point in his depression,” said Fulgham.
The Sheriff's department says the investigation is ongoing.
To watch the full investigation released by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, click here.
