Texas cops were recently caught on video shooting an unarmed man who had his hands up in the air – surrendering. The whole thing was caught on video, and almost as soon as the incident happened, a local news station did their jobs and aired footage. Now, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department is losing their collective mind over it, and claiming news that aired the footage is “unethical.”
The Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies who fatally shot a man with hands up, they say, should have had this incident concealed. The Sheriff’s Department says that they do not want the public to express outrage at the shooting, which they call “sensational.”
Gilbert Flores, 41, is clearly seen in the video – taken by a neighbor with their cell phone – standing outside of his home when police arrive. He then raises his hands up in the air, clearly above his head – showing that he is unarmed and compliant.
None of that mattered.
The video aired by local KSAT shows an officer gunning the man down without hesitation or provocation.
“They just cold-blooded shot that [*********],” neighbor with the camera can be heard saying.
Both the county D.A. and the sheriff’s office say that they have opened investigations into this shooting.
The deputies involved, Greg Vasquez and Robert Sanchez, are both on paid administrative leave, according to local KSAT.
But the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department says that the decision to air the footage of the unprovoked shooting was “unethical.”
Counter Current News was tagged on the post from the Sheriff’s Department, that read as follows:
“Today, members of our local media chose to broadcast online unedited video of a man’s death. KSAT 12 paid a neighbor who filmed the tragedy $100 for the exclusive rights to the video. As a result, people from outside our community have bombarded us with inappropriate comments, and today, physical threats toward our deputies. These deputies have not been charged with a crime and a family lost their loved one. This is unethical and sad. Call KSAT and let them know what you think – (210) 351-1277. If you agree, let the local media know this sort of sensational behavior doesn’t fly in Bexar County.”
Some of the comments in response were highly critical of the police and their beliefs that the footage should have been suppressed.
“I support the police. But for a law enforcement organization to seek to suppress the public’s access to evidence of police actions is unprofessional, and undermines the public confidence that police need, and need to foster. The issue isn’t the press showing the killing – the issue is the killing of the person, as shown in the video,” one reader responded.
Another reader said, “This post was a horrible idea. You now have the attention of the entire media. Idiots.”
They were right.
The news station defended their decision, saying that “providing the video on KSAT.com allows for viewers to make their own decision on whether to click on a link to see the video. Other than editing for language, the video is the entirety of what we received from Michael Thomas.”
Watch the report from local KSAT in the video below…