Raleigh police release body cam video in Daniel Turcios shooting. Here’s what it shows
Police body camera footage released Friday shows officers repeatedly told Daniel Turcios to drop a knife he was holding before an officer tased him and another shot him five times off Interstate 440 last month.
Five Raleigh police officers responded to the Jan. 11 crash involving the 43-year-old native of El Salvador and his family. Police and family members have offered conflicting accounts of what happened that day.
The city released a compilation video as well as videos from the officers: 3 apiece showing body camera, dash camera and panoramic camera perspectives — for a total of 16 videos.
The videos came two days after a judge found a compelling public interest to release them. Superior Court Judge G. Bryan Collins Jr., in Wake County, approved releasing the videos with minor redactions, blurring graphic images of Turcios’ injuries, the face of a child present in the video and muting portions that show witnesses giving their personal information to officers.
Earlier on Friday, Rosa Jerez, Turcios’ widow, and local activists called for the expedited release of the videos.
“I need answers,” Jerez said in Spanish, her words translated by Iliana Santillan, executive director of El Pueblo. “I need for the video to be public and for everyone to see how my husband was murdered.”
Body camera footage shows a chaotic scene that unraveled in just minutes, when officers arrived to when they tased and shot Turcios.
Videos show lead-up to shooting
Raleigh police had petitioned for the release of the videos, as state law requires when seeking to share law enforcement video with the public. Attorneys for the Turcios family also supported their release.
Police have not said what caused the Beltline crash.
Police Chief Estella Patterson said 911 calls indicated a person was intoxicated at the crash scene, and officers were “alerted that an individual was armed with a knife.”
The family disputes that Turcios had been drinking and said the crash left him disoriented. They said he was carrying “a small pocket knife.”
In the videos, the first responding officer walks over to the crashed vehicle, which is on its side, and finds Turcios’ wife beside it, along with his 20-year-old son, who is sitting on the ground. He tells the officer he is hurt in his back.
The officer then walks over to Turcios, who is holding his younger son, age 7, in his arms.
Another man involved in the crash tells an officer while pointing at Turcios: “This guy ran me off the road. That’s how this happened. He’s probably intoxicated.”
Turcios responds in Spanish: “What did I do to you, man?”
The officer tries to ask Turcios a question but Turcios walks past him. Turcios then says in Spanish: “I was just driving! I was just driving calmly!”
A bystander and officer tell Turcios in Spanish to stay calm and sit down until an ambulance arrives.
Turcios walks over to his family and appears to argue with Jerez, his wife. The officer tells a dispatcher through his radio that there is a man who “appears highly intoxicated.”
‘Put the knife down. Put it down.’
Multiple firefighters and officers arrive within a few minutes of the first officer. Video from the body camera of one of the additional officers shows him preparing to take information from other witnesses when someone says Turcios is holding a knife.
A witness video circulated on social media shortly after the shooting showed part of the incident, and Turcios’ family said the situation could have been handled better.
Police say Turcios refused to drop the knife, but family members say he had a limited understanding of English and did not understand their commands.
“There are other things that could have been done,” Jerez said Friday. “It was unjust to take someone’s life who was innocent.”
In videos, the officer walks toward Turcios, who is still standing by his family and the overturned vehicle, and is surrounded by at least five firefighters and EMS personnel.
“Come here,” the officer tells Turcios. “Put the knife down. Put it down.”
The officer continues to direct Turcios to drop his knife. Turcios appears to say something and shake his head. The officer continues his commands, raising his voice, but Turcios instead walks toward his family.
Turcios is seen holding a knife in his right hand. His wife tries to reach for it, but he refuses to let go.
He picks up his 7-year-old son, switching the knife to his left hand, and tries to walk away from officers with the child. Officers continue telling him to drop the knife while he talks to his wife, who takes the child.
Almost immediately after Turcios lets go of his son’s hand and begins to walk away, Sgt. W.B. Tapscott tases Turcios in the back.
He falls to the ground, and people start to scream.
A group of officers surrounds Turcios, and at least three try to move in closer to pin him down.
Turcios groans and struggles to get up.
Within seconds, he tries to spring to his feet while officers try to restrain him.
At first his back is toward the officers, then Turcios spins and lunges at one of them with the knife in his hand and his arm extended. The officer falls backward, and the blade appears to narrowly miss his leg.
Officer A.A. Smith fires twice at Turcios.
Footage shows Turcios trying to get up.
Smith fires three more shots at Turcios.
Raleigh police have not said how many of the shots struck Turcios.
Dawn Blagrove of Emancipate NC said after the release of the videos that police “took a calm situation and turned it violent and deadly.”
“The initial taser was completely unwarranted,” Blagrove said. “He was tased in the back with his arms at his side. Criminal charges are warranted.”
Footage captures shooting’s aftermath
After the second round of gunshots, Tapscott yells out to the others: “Hey, is everybody good?”
Other officers continue to yell “drop the knife,” though Turcios is lying on the ground, not moving.
Jerez walks up to him, but an officer tells her to stop and pushes her away.
Tapscott then walks up to Smith.
Someone standing nearby is heard asking, “Were those live rounds or what?” Based on an initial review of the footage, which had audio that was lagging by a few seconds, it appeared as if Smith was asking Tapscott if he had fired “live rounds.”
The News & Observer asked Raleigh police why Smith would ask if he had fired “live rounds.”
Police spokesperson Laura Hourigan said the quote didn’t come from Smith, but from an EMT standing next to the officers who asked if Smith had shot “five rounds,” not “live rounds.”
Tapscott then walks to another officer, K.G. Begin, who Turcios appeared to lunge at with the knife.
“Are you good, Begin, are you good,” Tapscott asks.
“I’m good,” the officer replies. “He swung it, but I’m good.”
SBI investigates
Experts and activists have pointed to the body camera footage as critical for transparency and determining whether the shooting was justified.
“What we want is a fair and objective evaluation of what happened,” Blagrove said Friday. “We want a real investigation. We want this officer to be held to the same standard as anyone else who commits gun violence in our community, because that is what this was.”
The State Bureau of Investigations is conducting a criminal investigation of the case, while the Raleigh Police Department reviews whether officers violated internal policy. Both are standard procedure.
The SBI will report its findings to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, who will decide whether charges are filed. Freeman said Feb. 2 that the SBI had completed “all key interviews,” but that she had not received the agency’s findings.
Tapscott and Smith have been placed on administrative duty, which is also standard.
The other officers who responded were identified as R.C. Job, K.G. Begin and D.W. Sigrist.
Staff writers Aaron Sánchez-Guerra and Laura Brache contributed to this report.
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This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Raleigh police release body cam video in Daniel Turcios shooting. Here’s what it shows."
