Vallejo police released footage Wednesday of last month’s officer-involved shooting.
The video clips, which the Vallejo Police Department screened at a 4 p.m. town hall meeting just blocks away from the scene of the June 27 incident at 1401 Springs Road, largely track with authorities’ accounts over the past two weeks. However, certain key details – including when, precisely, Officer Brad Kim shot 29-year-old Jamazea Kittell and just how badly Kittell was injured – remained murky Wednesday.
Footage from three police body cameras, including Kim’s, shows authorities arrive around 4:12 a.m. June 27 at the scene of an alleged burglary at a gas station.
“Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands!” Kim is heard shouting as he runs in front of a Dodge Charger that a suspect has just entered. The Charger then accelerates forward, throwing Kim to the ground, then careens into a parking lot across the street before crashing into a pole.
“That’s fine. That’s fine,” Kim is heard saying as he gets back on his feet and sprints toward the Charger. Kittell exits the driver’s side of the vehicle and collapses to the pavement, and Kim is seen handcuffing him.
Kittell groans unintelligibly.
The sound of gunshots was not clearly audible in Wednesday’s footage, which authorities said may have been redacted to comply with the law. In response to questions from the public, Interim Police Chief Jason Ta said he could not confirm whether Kim fired before or after the Charger struck him. He said forthcoming investigations will examine the timeline more fully.
Ta said Kim fired four gunshots. He displayed photos of two bullet holes in the Charger: one in the windshield in front of the driver’s seat, and one in a side door.
Ta also confirmed that Kittell was shot “in the mouth area,” but he could not provide more details about his injuries Wednesday.
“This is within 14 days,” Ta reminded attendees, referring to how much time has passed since the initial incident. “It’s unheard of, and it’s very difficult to get this information, particularly when we are not the ones conducting the investigation.”
Kittell faces charges of attempted murder of a peace officer, commercial burglary, receiving stolen property and unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle.
He appeared in court in a wheelchair on Tuesday and displayed stitching around his nostrils as well as a bandage on his neck. No further injuries were plainly visible.
In compliance with agency policy, the Major Crimes Task Force of the Solano County District Attorney’s Office will be conducting a criminal investigation into last month’s incident. Ta said the Renne Public Law Group will also conduct an independent investigation.
Within the Vallejo Police Department, the Critical Incident Review Board will examine officers’ actions and determine whether they were consistent with agency training and policy.
California penal codes stipulate that “peace officers may use deadly force only when necessary in defense of human life.” Deadly force becomes “necessary” in the eyes of the law when an officer is seeking “to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or to another person.”
Deadly force may also be justified if a person is fleeing law enforcement after committing a felony “that threatened or resulted in death or serious bodily injury.” In this case, the officer must reasonably believe “that the person will cause death or serious bodily injury unless immediately apprehended.”
In addition to presenting bodycam footage, police also provided more context Wednesday about what happened in the early morning of June 27.
Vallejo Deputy Chief Joseph Gomez played audio of the first calls that dispatch received about the alleged burglary. While Kim jumped out of his car to pursue Kittell, Gomez described police officers chasing another vehicle that was fleeing the same scene.
“The pursuit is going on while this is happening,” Gomez said. “So, two major incidents going on at the same time.”
Gomez said police lost track of the other suspect near Hercules. “The suspect abandoned the vehicle and eluded capture following an extensive search,” he said.
Gomez also said that yet another suspect fled the Dodge Charger when officers arrived and climbed over a fence to escape.
About 20 members of the public attended Wednesday’s town hall, which was relatively toned down compared to previous interactions between Vallejo police and the public following officer-involved shootings.
Vallejo resident Beverly McGain was among several attendees to criticize the timing of Wednesday’s meeting. She said several of her friends declined to attend, partly because it was held at 4 p.m., during the workday.
“It’s been an ongoing issue for many years, the relationship between the police department and the community,” McGain said. She said poor public outreach is part of the problem.
Ta acknowledged these concerns and pointed out that Wednesday was the first time the Vallejo Police Department had hosted a town hall meeting within weeks of a police shooting.
“We do appreciate your feedback, and if and when this event happens again, we will take this into consideration,” he said.
In contrast to McGain, Vallejo resident Carlos Solorzano, who is listed on the Vallejo Police Department’s website as a member of the Chief’s Advisory Board, criticized people who “complain” too much about the police department. He said that people should get more involved in their community – and also that city leadership should have acted years ago on issues like Vallejo’s crumbling police station.
“We should do something about it,” Solorzano said. “And by that I mean, the community should do something about it.”
None of Kittell’s family members spoke at Wednesday’s meeting. Ta confirmed after the meeting that while police have been in communication with the suspect’s mother, they have contacted his father less.
“I did not have contact with his dad,” Ta said. “I think the (Major Crimes Task Force) did.”
The father, Reggie Kittell, told the Times-Herald on Tuesday that he learned his son had been shot from “people on the street” and it took him over a week to learn that his son would live.
The city of Vallejo is expected to upload a video of Wednesday’s meeting on Thursday. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.