It started over a 17-year-old boy riding a bicycle through a residential neighborhood in Arizona without headlights, which drew the attention of Chandler police officer Chase Bebak-Miller who activated his lights and tried to pull him over.
But Anthony Bernal Cano tried to flee, dropping his bike and hopping over a fence into a park.
The cop stopped his car and began chasing him on foot, also hopping over the fence into the park.
It was only after he had caught up to him that he noticed the gun in Cano’s hand which made him fear for his life, prompting him to shoot the teen twice in the back.
But Bebak-Miller’s bodycam footage shows the teen tossed the gun to the side right before he was shot and never pointed it at the cop.
“I just wanted to throw the gun away,” the teen tells the cop after he is handcuffed and laying facedown in the grass.
“Well, I thought you were pulling it on me, man,” the cop responds.
“I tried throwing it so I wouldn’t get shot.”
Cano died three weeks later in a hospital.
The incident took place on January 2 but Chandler police did not release the video until Wednesday. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said it is investigating whether the cop will be charged but the teen’s family expects him to be cleared. They plan on suing.
According to the Arizona Republic:
Chandler police said its Criminal Investigation Bureau completed its investigation into the shooting and submitted the case to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review.
After the County Attorney’s Office determines whether to pursue criminal charges against the officer, Chandler police’s Use of Force Review Board will review the case before submitting it to a citizens review panel made up of 15 Chandler residents appointed by the mayor.
Last week, Cano’s mother, Renee Clum, was among family members who questioned why he was stopped in the first place.
“He was scared, coming home. He wasn’t doing anything wrong other than riding a bike without a light.”
Watch the edited video below and the unedited video here.
