The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Saturday released body-worn camera footage showing a deputy fatally shooting a knife-wielding man in Calimesa last month.
Authorities were initially called around 9 a.m. on Jan. 11 because a man had allegedly threatened customers with a knife at a 7-Eleven gas station in the 1000 block of Cherry Valley Boulevard while asking for gas money, Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a video released by the department.
The suspect — later identified as Jose Juan Marquez, 43, of Bloomington — attempted to get into the store but employees managed to lock the door and prevent him from entering, said Bianco.
In a 911 call, a store employee says that Marquez was wandering around the building and slashing the tires of vehicles.
A deputy from the Cabazon station later found Marquez, who was still holding the knife, walking down the eastbound Interstate 10 Freeway on-ramp at Cherry Valley Boulevard.
An off-duty San Bernardino police officer who was on the way to work saw the confrontation and stopped to assist, according to Bianco.
In the body-worn camera footage, both the deputy and the off-duty officer, who were not identified, are heard ordering Marquez to put down the knife and lay on the ground several times.
When Marquez advanced toward the law enforcement officers, the deputy fired two 40mm less-lethal munitions, said Bianco.
In a video shot by a passerby, Marquez is seen flinching after being shot by the less-lethal munitions, but continues to walk toward the deputy and off-duty officer.
“Two deployments of 40. Didn’t do anything,” the deputy is heard saying on the body-worn camera footage.
Moments later, the deputy tries using a stun weapon on Marquez but it has little effect, and the deputy continues to order Marquez to get on the ground.
However, Marquez continues to stumble around erratically toward authorities and the deputy is heard telling the off-duty officer, “I’m gonna end up shooting him, dude.”
After ordering Marquez to the ground a few more times, the deputy shoots Marquez twice.
The deputy attempted to perform lifesaving measures on Marquez before he was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to sheriff’s officials.
Investigators later found out that prior to arriving at the 7-Eleven, Marquez had also allegedly threatened customers at another store in the 31000 block of Yucaipa in San Bernardino County. Marquez fled that location in a vehicle eastbound on Interstate 10.
San Bernardino Sheriff’s deputies later found his vehicle parked on the freeway shoulder near where he was found walking on the on-ramp.
The deputy who shot Marquez was placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues per the sheriff’s department’s policy.