Newly released body-camera footage captures the tense moment a California deputy opened fire on a woman after spotting what he believed was a handgun resting in her lap.
The video, made public Monday, shows a San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputy walking up to 46-year-old Erica Lee Johnson during a June 23 traffic stop near Stockton. Authorities said the encounter happened around midday after deputies responded to a report of an argument involving two women.
In the footage, Johnson appears to speak to the deputy as he stands beside her vehicle before the bodycam audio activates. Moments later, she can be seen moving her hand downward.
The deputy quickly pulls his firearm and warns her, “Don’t reach for that.” Johnson appears to respond, then reaches down again, and the deputy fires.
San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow later said the deputy believed Johnson was reaching for a black pistol. Investigators determined the item was actually an air-powered replica handgun.
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“Let me ask you a question: The firearm that I pulled from my holster, could you tell if it was real or not?” Withrow said while addressing the video. “Because that’s how quick your decision on the street has to be. They look so real nowadays it’s hard to tell.
“Most of you probably had no idea,” the sheriff added. Johnson suffered injuries that officials described as not life-threatening and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
“He saw what appeared to be a real firearm, gave clear commands not to reach for it, and watched as those commands were ignored,” Withrow said. “And the individual reached towards what looked like a handgun. That is the reality of law enforcement.
“When someone we saw reaches for what appears to be a firearm after being told not to, they leave the deputy with only moments to decide whether they go home to their family that night or not.”
It’s unclear if Johnson has been charged with anything, but she is seen driving through several stop signs, speeding, and illegally crossing the center line in the footage.
Stockton is a city in California’s San Joaquin Valley about 80 miles east of San Francisco.
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