Family of man killed by Sonoma County sheriff's deputy says he was not a threat
GEYSERVILLE, Calif. - The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office released video of a deadly shooting where a deputy killed a man they say was armed with a claw hammer, a rock, and a tiller. Family members of the man killed say he was not a threat.
Newly-released video shows part of the incident where David Pelaez Chavez, of Lower Lake, was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy. The deputies involved in the July 29 incident are Deputy Michael Dietrick and Deputy Anthony Powers. Dietrick shot and killed Chavez. Authorities said Chavez picked up a second rock and pulled his arm back as if to throw it.
"When I see the video. all I see is somebody having, you know, a breakdown," said Karym Sanchez, executive director, from North Bay Organizing Project. "They're trying really hard to assassinate his character and convince us that this was a bad guy. I don't think that he deserved to die. I don't think that he was a threat."
Investigators said a nearby resident had reported Chavez had used a rock to break a window at his home and steal a truck. He stole an ATV from another home. Deputies later found it abandoned but still running.
Authorities said Chavez refused offers of water and would not listen to deputies.
"Our heart aches for them. You know their going through a really hard time right now with this injustice," said Sanchez.
At a vigil earlier this month, Chavez' family mourned the loss of the father of two. Chavez' brother demanded justice.
The shooting is under investigation by the Sonoma County District Attorney's office and Santa Rosa police.