SFPD released bodycam and surveillance video of a fatally shooting a suspect who reached for the gun

1 year ago
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San Francisco police released body-camera and surveillance videos Friday in a deadly police shooting of a burglary suspect.

Sergio Barrios, 40, was shot and killed at a building near Bosworth and Cuvier Streets in the Glen Park neighborhood on May 19.

A man called 911 to say that Barrios had broken into a unit and was armed with a gun.

Officers arrived, and police say Barrios threw his gun down at one point but remained close to the weapon. Authorities say he held SFPD Ingleside and tactical officers at bay while drinking wine and vodka.

Police say he ignored or could not hear officers' commands because he was wearing headphones. Authorities say he became more animated after snorting cocaine.

"Officers are heard on body-worn camera saying, quote, ‘The coke is kicking in,’" San Francisco Police Cmdr. Paul Yep said at a virtual town hall meeting.

Officers warned Barrios not to reach for the gun.

But several hours into the standoff, "Mr. Barrios leaned over towards the firearm. Multiple officers yelled ‘No, hey!’" Yep said. "Mr. Barrios then picked up the firearm. Four officers used force at this time."

One officer fired his rifle. Three other officers fired less-lethal weapons. Barrios died at a hospital.

The officer who fired his rifle was identified as Gregory Buhagiar, a 22-year department officer who’s been involved in two prior shootings, one of them fatal.

In 2018, Buhagiar was among seven officers who opened fire into an RV after a homicide suspect fired shots at them from inside. No one was hit in the shootout.

In 2007, Buhagiar and another officer shot and killed a suspect.

Buhagiar was cleared of any wrongdoing in the earlier shootings.

The latest shooting is under investigation by the San Francisco Police Department and the District Attorney's office, which will determine whether the killing was legally justified.

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