Experts react to bodycam footage of Derek Diaz shooting
Newly released bodycam video shows Orlando police officers approach 26-year-old Derek Diaz while he was sitting in a car in an area police say is known for drug activity.
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After first complying with officers, Diaz moved his hand toward the center console. When he refused to put his hands on the steering wheel, police opened fire.
Attorney Joe Castrofort watched the footage with Channel 9, and said Diaz clearly did not do what he was told.
“I definitely see a movement, I see an instruction that’s been disregarded,” he said.
READ: Bodycam videos show Orlando police officer fatally shoot man seated in parked car in downtown
Retired Orlando police detective Bill Moore said to understand the video and the officer’s perspective, you have to understand the officer’s mindset.
“People dealing drugs carry guns, they carry knives, they carry weapons,” he said. “That’s going to be in the minds of the officers on scene.”
But Castrofort has a lot of questions after watching the video, like what was going on before the officer shot Diaz.
“I think that it’s fairly common today to see videos of people being removed from vehicles immediately for much less, and there seems to be a dramatic pause in this particular instance,” he said.
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