Deadly Body Cam Video: Santa Clara Officer Involved Shooting

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA - The shooting death of a mentally ill, suicidal man who charged at a Santa Clara police officer earlier this year was lawful, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has ruled today.

The suspect, 24-year-old Jesus Geney-Montes, had stabbed himself in the chest with a knife several times
and told police that he had a gun and would shoot them. The police officer used his Taser first as Geney-Montes rushed toward him, but it was not effective. It was only after the suspect was shot that police learned that he was unarmed.

“Seeing Geney-Montes charging towards him and believing his life was in danger, Officer Stewart chose
to defend himself by discharging his weapon,” prosecutor Carolyn Powell wrote in a 53-page public
report. “Under the facts, circumstances and applicable law in this matter, Officer Colin Stewart’s use of
force was in response to an objectively reasonable belief that he was facing an immediate threat of great
bodily injury or death.”

Santa Clara Police had already been to the home where Geney-Montes lived with his mother and stepfather four times on March 9, 2017. Each time he had barricaded himself in his bedroom, threatened his stepfather and himself, and told officers he had a gun and would shoot them if they came in.

Officers determined no crime had been committed and that it was safer to back off in those circumstances.

On the fifth call, around 5 p.m., his mother reported that Geney-Montes had stabbed himself and jumped out his bedroom window.

Police found him standing on an embankment behind a housing complex. He told police that he would either shoot them or himself. Geney-Montes, who had his hand in his short’s pocket for much of the standoff, refused multiple offers of help.

He ran off. Officer Stewart leaped over a wall and was confronted by Geney-Montes before the shooting. Police later found the bloody knife in the bushes near where Geney-Montes had climbed over a fence.

By law, officers can use deadly force when they or others are faced with imminent danger, the DA's Office notes in releasing the ruling.

The Office has also released the officer’s body-camera footage of the incident along with this disclaimer: “This video is graphic and viewer discretion is advised. The District Attorney’s Office tries to balance the values of privacy and transparency. Finding the right balance is important to maintain and build public trust in the criminal justice system. We are releasing this video because it was relevant to our decision.”

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