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Milpitas police release new footage of fatal shootout with suspect
Milpitas police released security and body camera video of a parking-lot shootout with a stolen-vehicle suspect at a strip mall back in October. The suspect died a few days following the incident. Police say four detectives fired their weapons. The Santa Clara County District attorney is investigating. Warning: viewer discretion is advised.
MILPITAS, Calif. - Milpitas police on Friday released security and body camera video of a fatal parking-lot shootout with a stolen-vehicle suspect at a strip mall back in October. The suspect, who had been arrested, died a few days after the incident.
Police say four detectives fired their weapons. The Santa Clara County District attorney is investigating. Police have also changed their previous story on who fired their weapon first. They now say a detective was the first to discharge their weapon.
The shooting happened October 15 at Milpitas Square, a strip-mall shopping center at Barber Lane, at around 4 p.m. When video originally surfaced on social media from the incident, it showed officer crouching behind vehicles with guns drawn and the gunfire that followed.
Michael Edward Nelson Jr., 42, of Healdsburg died from his injuries sustained in the shooting. At the time police said they rendered aid to Nelson, who they said was trying to barricade himself.
The new video shows the shootout and a police detective issuing expletive-laden commands for the suspect to stay in his vehicle while he was surrounded by other detective vehicles. After yelling, "Let me see your hands!" one of the detectives repeatedly yells, "gun!" and then the first shots are fired. The detective then yells, "shots fired!"
After the first volley of gunfire a detective repeats for the suspect to show his hands and more gunfire can be heard in the parking lot with several other vehicles present.
Police detectives yell, "He's shooting!" and another can be heard on camera wondering aloud if the suspect is shooting his car.
In the police presentation of the video, they claim bullets from the suspect's weapon struck the hood and the windshield of one of the detective's vehicle.
A day after the incident, police had originally stated, "When officers approached, a person in the vehicle started shooting at them, causing officers to return fire."
Police said no officers or bystanders were injured in the crossfire of the shooting during these normal business hours.