Bodycam video sheds light on fatal police shooting of homeless man in Tustin

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Monday, October 25, 2021
Bodycam video shows Tustin police fatally shoot homeless man
New body camera footage released by Tustin police is shedding light on the controversial fatal shooting of a homeless man near a mobile home park in August.

TUSTIN, Calif. (KABC) -- New body camera footage released by Tustin police is shedding light on the controversial fatal shooting of a homeless man near a mobile home park.

Video shows officers use a Taser before shooting Luis Manual Garcia on Aug. 9 after he jumped out of a bush holding a 4-foot wooden pole.

Despite officers identifying that Garcia was holding a stick and then using a taser to subdue him, they still shot him twice.

Tustin: Family demands justice after homeless father shot and killed by police

The family of a man shot and killed by Tustin police is demanding justice as they prepare for a second vigil in his honor.

Garcia's family said that the father of three was dealing with mental illness at the time.

"Yes, he was homeless," Christian Garcia said of his uncle in August. "No, he did not bother no one. No, he was not violent. He was not the type to carry weapons or nothing."

The shooting is under investigation by the police department, Orange County District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that the shooting was under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. The correct agency investigating the incident is the Tustin Police Department, as well as the O.C. D.A.'s Office and the Department of Justice.