(KMJ) “The fact remains that Dylan Noble did pose an immediate threat to officers and nearby citizens when the fourth an final round was fired”, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said at a news conference Friday morning following an Internal Affairs investigation.
Noble, 19, was shot and killed by FPD officers in June 2016 at the corner of Shields and Armstrong after refusing to comply with their demands to show his hands. Noble was pulled over after spinning his tires at an intersection. Moments earlier, officers were summoned to the area after receiving a call about an armed man.
“It is my belief that after reviewing all the evidence in this case that 14 seconds provided sufficient time to the officer (Robert Chavez) to consider and employ other potential alternatives which may have minimized the need for the fourth and final round to be fired”, Dyer said. Officer Raymond Camacho fired the first three rounds that struck Noble.
Officer Chavez has been disciplined by Chief Dyer, but to what extent is unknown. Both officers remain on the force.
This photograph showed Noble’s position after Camacho fired the first two rounds. Noble landed face down with his hands close to his body.
This photograph showed Noble’s position after Camacho fired the third round and just as Chavez fired a round from his shotgun. Noble had again placed his right hand underneath his shirt.
“I have looked at this photo and this video well over 50 times and had the luxury of sitting in my office and looking at this investigation as well as all the video and I have not come to the conclusion that in fact that wasn’t a handgun and these officers had to make that decision in a relatively short period of time, within seconds. However, I still believe during that 14 second period other alternatives could have been explored that would have minimized the chance for that fourth round having to be fired.”
Local attorney Stuart Chandler who represents Noble’s mother released the following statement after the news conference: “Chief Dyer said the officers believed that Dylan Noble, while on the ground after being shot, was reaching for a weapon in his front waste band when he is clearly reaching for the wound that has been wrongly inflicted on him.”
After the controversial shooting, a toxicology test showed Noble had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12 percent he had trace amounts of a metabolite of cocaine in his system at the time of his death.
The Fresno Bee reports that Fresno County DA’s office is “getting close” to announcing whether Noble’s death could warrant charges against the officers.
Two separate lawsuits have been filed by the Noble family accusing FPD of wrongful death.
Hear from Dyer and Chandler here:
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