Girl Shot By Fullerton Police Aimed Fake Gun, Body Cam Shows

FULLERTON, CA — The Orange County District Attorney's Office is continuing their investigation of an officer-involved shooting that led to the death of a 17-year-old girl. One week after the event, Fullerton police released the body-camera footage of the officer's shooting of Hannah Williams.

On the footage, Williams could be seen "in a shooting stance pointing something, now confirmed to have been a replica handgun, at the officer, leading to the shooting," authorities said. The 15-minute long video below shows the event through the lense of the body camera, which "cannot detect what an officer is thinking or feeling," Fullerton Police Spokesperson John Radus said.

Prior to the release of the video, William's relatives met with the Orange County District Attorney, Todd Spitzer. They opted against watching the footage, but their attorney, Lee Merritt, did watch it.

"They had no desire to watch the tragic last moments" of Williams's life, Merritt told reporters at a news conference outside the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

On July 7, a uniformed Fullerton police officer was taking his K-9 partner to the vet after sustaining an injury on a prior call. He noticed Hannah Williams, driving eastbound on the 91-freeway at a "high rate of speed, near Glassell Avenue," the OCDA reported. A replica Beretta 92 FS handgun was recovered at the scene next to the young woman.

Williams, 17, was transported to the hospital where she later died, Melanie Eustice of the OCDA's office said in a recent release. The district attorney investigated the shooting, as per protocol.

A witness of the shooting told local reporters that she saw the girl, identified as Hannah Williams, "standing on the freeway outside of her vehicle" and that "she raised both arms with a 9mm gun. He had to shoot her. He shot her. Three times. Bang, bang, bang."

Her family's described Hannah as "young in spirit," and only recently obtained her driver's license permit to go out and "explore the world," they wrote on their GoFundMe page, established to pay for funeral expenses after the event that took her life.

Police also released a portion of a 911 call made by Williams' father that day, reporting that his daughter had taken his rental car and disappeared and noting that she was taking antidepressants.

The family said Williams was "beloved" by her family and "had her whole life ahead of her."

The attorney would not get into specifics of Williams' mental health issues, but he acknowledged she was on medication and was struggling at the time. But Merritt added she was having an "exceptionally good day" in the hours prior to the shooting.

As for the officer who shot Williams, Merritt said the family recognizes that he had a split-second decision to make.

"We can't exonerate him at this point but we certainly can't condemn him," he said. The family planned to pick up the teen's body Friday night and begin making funeral arrangements.

Spitzer said his office is "exploring options on how to release preliminary information to family members and the public while preserving the integrity of our investigation."

Williams moved to the area less than a year ago with her family from Phoenix.

According to her family, Williams considered community service an "integral part" of her life, "as exemplified by her work as a lifeguard, her commitment to saving lives." The teen also "loved volunteering at community healthcare with her parents."

Warning. This video is graphic in nature.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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