SHOCKING new video footage has shown the moment police gunned down a man holding just a paint roller.
The disturbing clip was taken as police responded to a family disturbance at the man’s home following reports of a domestic incident.
Video shared by the Los Angeles Times shows Isael Orellana, 43, outside his home in La Puente, 20 miles from Los Angeles, on May 3, when cops arrive.
Two videos of the incident – one taken by a nearby surveillance camera and another taken by someone at the scene – show the 43-year-old standing a few feet away from two Los Angeles Sheriff Deputies holding a metal paint roller.
Family members could be heard crying and screaming in the video.
“As deputies attempted to detain the suspect, he armed himself with a metal paint roller, which he used as a weapon,” the sheriff’s department told local ABC affiliate KABC-TV.
Authorities say they asked Orellana to drop the paint roller before they shot him, but he refused.
They also stated that Orellana “raised the paint roller toward the deputies” and threw an object, which appeared to be the paint roller, hitting one of the deputies in the leg.
They then fired three shots at him, the outlet reported.
Orellana was hospitalized for the injuries but survived the shooting.
An attorney for Orellana’s family said he was suffering from a mental health episode during the incident.
They are now suing the police agency for using excessive force.
The lawsuit did not specify a damage award amount, which would allow a jury to determine compensation should the case go to trial, according to the outlet.
At a press conference on Monday, the man’s wife, Margarita Navarro, shared how the shooting has impacted her family.
“[I believe] it’s an injustice how the police officers, deputies in this circumstance, treated my husband and my family,” Navarro said, speaking in Spanish.
Navarro said she and several others called 911 at least three times to report that her husband was having a mental health crisis.
Police officers cannot shoot and kill people merely because someone is not complying.
Christian Contreras
Despite knowing that Orellana was suffering from mental challenges, deputies were “immediately aggressive” when they arrived on the scene, the woman said, per KABC-TV.
“That night was terrible for us,” Navarro said, adding that police treated her family “very inhumanely” and “traumatized” them.
The family’s attorney, Christian Contreras, has criticized police for the way they handled the situation.
“Police officers cannot shoot and kill people merely because someone is not complying they must be faced with an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury,” Contreras said.
“Excessive force in violation of Mr. Orellana’s 4th Amendment rights and intentional infliction of emotional distress on the family for engaging in conduct, which almost killed their father right in front of their eyes.”
The sheriff’s department has released a statement saying they take all deputy-involved shootings seriously.
The incident will now undergo a multi-level review process.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the family’s attorney, Contreras, for comment.
