Video shows police shooting of 'unarmed man'

A video broadcast today shows a US sheriff’s deputy shooting an unarmed air force policeman as he apparently heeds an order to get up off the ground after a car chase.

The grainy and dark 40-second clip, repeatedly aired by US television station KTLA-TV, shows senior airman Elio Carrion on the ground on Sunday night, next to his car after a high-speed car chase.

The silhouetted officer points a gun at him, and while he was on the ground, Mr Carrion appears to tell the deputy he is in the military and is unarmed.

His father-in-law, Ernesto Paz, told KTLA-TV that Carrion, who recently returned from Iraq and was scheduled to return to his unit tomorrow, was shot three times in the chest, ribs and leg.

The 21-year-old survived and was said to be in good condition at Arrowhead Regional Medical Centre in Colton.

Carrion was a passenger in a Corvette that crashed into a fence following the brief chase, authorities said.

Officials with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department released few details about the incident. Investigators took the original tape, refusing to release it to the public or describe what it shows.

The deputy, whose name has not been released, was placed on paid administrative leave, which is routine procedure in officer-involved shootings.

“As with all investigations, the circumstances involved in this shooting will be reviewed,” Sheriff Gary Penrod said in a statement today.

“It would be inappropriate for me to make any additional comments until the investigation is completed.”

The incident began with a deputy trying to stop and then chasing a Corvette through a neighbourhood, authorities said. The car skidded and slammed into a block wall in a middle class neighbourhood of large, single-storey homes.

The next seconds on the videotape, which the station said was filmed by a Chino resident, show Carrion on the ground next to his car supporting himself on one arm with his face brightly lit by the officer’s flashlight.

There is some hard-to-hear conversation back and forth, but Carrion repeatedly says, “I’m on your side” and adds “we mean you no harm.”

At one point, a voice is heard saying several times, “Get up.”

Carrion says, “I’m gonna get up.” As he rises, the deputy fires at least four shots from close range, and Carrion collapses, crying out in pain.

Joanne Scholten, who lives with her husband across the street from where the shooting occurred, said a sheriff’s deputy was yelling obscenities at the airman and ordering him to get out of the car.

She said she heard the deputy tell the man to stand up and then shots rang out.

The driver of the Corvette, identified by authorities as 21-year-old Luis Fernando Escobedo, was arrested for investigation of evading arrest.

Carrion’s 19-year-old wife, Mariela, told reporters that when her husband came out of hospital this afternoon, he said, “They shot me for no reason.”

Air force spokesman Lt Frank Hartnett said Carrion worked as a security officer at the base. Carrion joined the Air Force in January 2003 and recently returned from a six-month tour in Iraq, Mr Hartnett said.