Footage Shows Police Fatally Shooting Kidnapped 15-Year-Old Girl as She Appeared to Be Surrendering
Savannah Graziano had been abducted by her father, Anthony Graziano, a fugitive accused of killing his wife
Courtesy of City of Fontana Police Department via AP (2)
Savannah, left, and Anthony GrazianoA teenage girl who had been kidnapped by her fugitive father appeared to be complying with instructions and surrendering to a sheriff’s deputy when she was fatally shot by police in California, recently released audio and video from the incident shows.
Savannah Graziano, 15, had been abducted by her father, Anthony, who police said had fatally shot his wife. Savannah and Anthony were both killed in a shootout with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department on Sept. 27, 2022.
The sheriff’s department released edited footage of the shootout Friday, March 29. Video taken from a police helicopter above the scene of the shootout, which occurred on I-15 near Hesperia and Victorville, shows Savannah, who police say was wearing tactical gear, getting out of her father’s crashed car approaching police when she was shot.
Related: Murder Fugitive and His Daughter, 15, Killed on California Highway During Shootout with Police
Also released was audio from a deputy’s recording device, which does not have an accompanying video. The deputy is heard telling Savannah to walk toward him, as gunfire is heard in the background.
“Passenger, get out,” the deputy says multiple times. “Come here, come to me.”
The instructions given by the deputy appear to match what Savannah is seen doing in the helicopter footage. Still, gunfire is heard in the audio even as the deputy shouts instructions.
“Hey! Stop! Stop shooting her,” the deputy yells, as gunfire continues to sound. “He’s in the car, stop!”
The gunfire then stops. The video posted by the sheriff’s department includes text saying that deputies immediately began administering medical aid to Savannah, who was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Anthony, who was also killed in the shootout, was pronounced dead at the scene, police previously said.
A day before the shootout, the Fontana Police Department said Anthony fatally shot his wife and was considered armed and dangerous. Police also said his 15-year-old daughter was with him. As a result, an Amber Alert went out for Savannah, which was sent to the California Highway Patrol.
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The car belonging to Anthony, a 2017 Nissan Frontier, was spotted by someone who then called 911, police previously said. According to the video posted by the sheriff’s department on Friday, no one from CHP was in the area, so San Bernardino Sheriff’s deputies responded to pursue the vehicle, which ended with a shootout.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said after the shootout that Savannah was wearing tactical gear and started running toward deputies. Dicus also noted at the time that it was possible Savannah participated in the shootout, though there is nothing seen or heard in the recently released audio and video that indicates she did.
The California Department of Justice is investigating the incident. The sheriff’s department also says it is conducting an internal review.
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