Police in northern California have released chilling footage of a short-lived, fatal shootout between a sheriff’s deputy and an armed suspect during what was ostensibly a routine traffic stop.
Shocking footage captured by Deputy Riley Jarecki’s body cam shows the moment armed suspect Javier Hernandez Morales, 43, shoots at her with a stolen handgun after a brief conversation between the two at roughly 11pm local time Sunday.
In a highly tense exchange, Jarecki asks if she can approach the driver’s side of the vehicle to have a look around before asking Hernandez Morales to roll down the window, which he does. “What’s up?” he asks her before opening fire.
He fires at least one shot but misses Jarecki who rounds the vehicle and fires multiple times through the front passenger side of the parked car, fatally shooting Morales, who died at the scene.
Morales had a warrant out for his arrest and had a loaded .22-caliber rifle in the car with him at the time of the shooting.
He was a farm worker who lived in Napa who had been booked into Napa County Jail at least five times for weapons violations, driving under the influence, and assaulting a police officer.
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“It’s pretty obvious that he [Hernandez Morales] intended to kill her,”said Undersheriff Jon Crawford. Jarecki has been placed on temporary leave.
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