WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The man shot and killed by West Sacramento police officers likely won't be identified until Tuesday of next week, at the earliest, following an autopsy, a spokesman for the department said.
Investigators spent hours Thursday afternoon and evening -- piecing together the incident that left a man in his 20s dead.
National use-of-force expert Ed Obayashi is not involved with the investigation of this case but explained to KCRA 3 what's considered “reasonable” when it comes to the use of deadly force, as outlined by California statutes.
“The officer who employs deadly force against an individual must reasonably believe that he or she was in an immediate threat,” he said. “Either being faced with immediate threat of serious bodily injury or death to himself or herself or to others.”
Officers can use deadly force if the person they've encountered is believed to be an immediate threat -- something that's measured with "reasonable objectiveness.” In other words, would other officers, in that same situation, in that same moment, have felt the same way.
Also factored into this investigation will be information that shaped the mindset of the officers prior to shots being fired. Things such as the nature of the emergency call, whether the suspect vehicle plates are tied to someone wanted by authorities, and whether officers took the right steps before deploying lethal force.
“Was it feasible for officers to employ de-escalation techniques?” Obayashi explained officers will be called upon to determine. “Any relevant information is going to factor in significantly in the analysis of the use of force.”
Obayashi said it may take a couple of days before we have more details on the moments leading up to the shooting. Body cameras, patrol car cameras and surveillance video from surrounding businesses will be examined.
Investigators will also need to interview the officers involved who are typically given a minimum of 48 hours before they undergo interviews about incidents like this.
At a crime scene, officers are called upon to give what are called "public safety statements" to ensure the greater community is no longer at risk, but then officers are afforded two sleep cycles before they’re interviewed about all the details regarding an incident of this nature.
“The more thorough, in-depth investigative interview … takes place after all the evidence has been analyzed and the witness statements have been taken,” Obayashi.