Body camera video shows fatal police shooting of Agustin Gonsalez

Responding to community concerns and to improve transparency, Hayward police on Friday released officer body-worn camera footage, 911 call and dispatch recordings and other information about the fatal shooting of a man last November who turned out to be carrying a razor blade.

In a statement, Hayward Chief of Police Mark Koller said, "In our efforts to support transparency, this is something we should do earlier in the future."

The 20-minute-long video captures the death of Agustin "Augie" Gonsalez, 29, of Lathrop, which has prompted concern and outrage from relatives and friends who said the shooting was not justified and more could have been done to save his life. The family has hired attorney John Burris and has said previously it plans to file a lawsuit.

In their statement, police said the Nov. 15 confrontation began when a man called 911 and said the boyfriend of his neighbor was threatening him with a knife.

Previous media accounts said it was in the 24600 block of O'Neil Avenue, near Orchard Avenue.

The statement said officers arrived to find Gonsalez in the street and one officer "ordered Gonsalez to drop the knife." The orders were repeated as Gonsalez approached the officer while holding an object in his right hand, the statement said.

The statement said the commands were ignored before two officers fired their service multiple times. Prior media reports said 13 shots were fired.

After the shots were fired, officers determined the object in Gonsalez's hand was a razor blade, the statement said. He died later at an area hospital.

The release said the video and other information was first made available to the Gonsalez family and their legal representatives before the public release. The release also said that before sharing the details, "the department acknowledges that this is a tragic incident for the family, the community and everyone involved."

The video can be found on the Hayward police website on the critical incident community briefing page at www.hayward-ca.gov/critical-incident.

The shooting is still being investigated by Hayward police and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office to determine whether the officers acted lawfully.

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