California’s Attorney General's office is reportedly investigating a shootout that occurred on Tuesday which resulted in a father and an unarmed teenager being killed by responding police officers, putting into question the claims that she was armed during the shootout.
Savannah Graziano, a 15-year-old girl, was killed on Tuesday during a shootout between pursuing authorities and her father Anthony Graziano, who had reportedly killed his wife Tracy Martinez a month after he was forced to move out of their home. During this time, police officials claim that Graziano was armed during the exchange, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Now, however, as more light is being shone on the matter, many are questioning the prevailing narrative of the shootout, with strong evidence showing that, while she was wearing a helmet and a military-styled vest, Savannah herself was unarmed when she ran to the officers for safety, The Guardian reported.
During the chase for Graziano, shots were exchanged between officers and the man. Graziano had been separated from his wife Martinez for months, with him taking Savannah and reportedly homeschooling her for the past few months. Until that week, no domestic violence case has been pulled up against the couple, ABC 7 reported.
The investigation is looking into who could have shot Savannah during the shootout exchange–whether it be her father, who died at the scene of the crime, or the police officers dispatched to capture him. Savannah herself died in the hospital from her fatal wounds. The possibility of crossfire between the two is also being investigated.
Police officials have attempted to paint Savannah as one of the instigators of the firefight. Shannon Dicus, the sheriff of San Bernardino County, claimed that there is evidence that Savannah had participated in the gunfight, though the county has not elaborated further on this claim.
Meanwhile, Sgt Chris Surgent of the Fontana police in California claimed that a video shows Savannah being in the back of her father’s pickup truck while he was in Martinez’s home in order to kill his wife. He questioned whether Savannah willingly went with her father the day her mother was killed. “Did she go willingly? Or was she actually abducted? We haven’t been able to prove that just yet,” he said.
