California Deputies Release Video of BearCat Killing Suspect After 7-Hour Standoff and Deputy's Death
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 20
California Deputies Release Video of BearCat Killing Suspect After 7-Hour Standoff and Deputy's Death
8 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 20
Nearly seven minutes of bodycam and drone footage released Tuesday show deputies using an armored BearCat to kill 59-year-old David Morales after he emerged from a Porterville home with a rifle on April 9.
Investigators said Morales had ambushed deputies serving a final eviction notice around 10:40 a.m., killing Tulare County Deputy Randy Hoppert and then firing for hours as SWAT teams evacuated residents and tried to negotiate.
At about 5:30 p.m., Morales shot at an armored Rook, then fled into backyard brush; video shows him aiming at the BearCat driver, striking the vehicle, and reaching for a handgun before deputies ran him over a third time.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office review board ruled on May 12 that the force used was within policy, and the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office is conducting a separate review.
Hoppert, a former Navy corpsman who joined the sheriff’s office in 2020, died after being rushed to a local hospital, turning what began as a civil eviction into a fatal attack on law enforcement.
A suspect's rifle pierced an armored vehicle; are police prepared for this level of firepower?
When an armored truck is used as a weapon, what prevents police from going too far?
Could social services, rather than a SWAT team, have prevented this eviction from turning deadly?