HEARTBREAKING IN CALIFORNIA: In chilling new helicopter footage, Savannah Graziano, a teenage kidnapping victim, is tragically shot dead by police while running towards them for help, despite one officer's desperate plea to fellow deputies to 'stop shooting her'. WATCH pic.twitter.com/QiK5v2hTPW
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 2, 2024
Savannah Graziano, a 15-year-old who was abducted by her father in September 2022, was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies as she followed their instructions and ran toward them on the side of a California highway, according to newly released video and audio.
Savannah was killed on Highway 15 in the San Bernardino County city of Hesperia nearly 24 hours after the California Highway Patrol had issued an Amber Alert about her abduction. Authorities found her mother, Tracy Martinez, shot to death in the street near her Fontana home, and the girl was missing. Her father, Anthony Graziano, was described as the main suspect behind the killing and the girl’s abduction. Authorities said he also fired at another person and a child at a nearby school around the same time.
His truck was described in the alert and was spotted by a civilian who saw the girl and her father Sept. 27, a day after her disappearance, authorities revealed Friday in a 15-minute video. The footage, which summarizes the shooting, was released to an independent journalist who had requested it under the California Public Records Act.
Sheriff’s officials refused to release the footage for about two years. After the incident, they claimed it was unclear whether Savannah’s father shot her, or deputies. They also claimed deputies failed to realise it was Savannah when she exited the car.
The search for Savannah Graziano
However, about a dozen video files have now been released and shared with independent journalist Joey Scott. The Guardian, who reviewed the clips, including helicopter footage, reported that deputies shot Savannah as she moved toward them, following their instructions. The videos reportedly also showed that Savannah was shot after two officers commented that it was the girl.