Footage of fatal police shooting near Oakland City Hall is released
OAKLAND — The Oakland Police Department on Friday released video footage of a fatal police shooting last month near City Hall.
The shooting happened just after 4 a.m. on Nov. 7 at the intersection of 16th Street and San Pablo Avenue.
Three security cameras in the area captured the shooting. The footage shows Lloyd Dillard, 52, walking across the intersection as an Oakland police sergeant pulls up to the curb in an unmarked car. Dillard then walks behind the car and appears to strike the trunk.
The sergeant gets out of his vehicle and Dillard appears to point a handgun in his direction.
The footage shows the sergeant duck back into his car and fire multiple shots at Dillard from inside the vehicle, causing Dillard to fall backward onto the sidewalk. The sergeant then gets out of his car and appears to fire additional shots at Dillard.
Dillard was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers recovered a loaded firearm from him, as well as multiple bullet casings from different calibers, according to police.
Police said the sergeant — identified in media reports as Sven Hamilton — was on his way to work at the time of the shooting and was not in uniform or equipped with a body-worn camera.
The footage largely aligns with an account of the shooting previously presented by the sergeant’s attorney, Harry Stern.
“It’s clear the sergeant had no other choice but to defend himself when he was attacked. It was one of the most harrowing incidents I’ve seen, even in the context of the out-of-control crime in the city of Oakland,” Stern said in an interview last month.
The sergeant’s actions also drew praise from Oakland Police Officers’ Association President Barry Donelan.
“Sgt. Hamilton demonstrated great courage, tactics and professionalism while under fire in this life-threatening situation,” Donelan said in a statement. “His actions illustrate what Oakland police officers are made of.”
The shooting is being investigated by the Oakland Police Department’s Homicide Section and Internal Affairs Division, as well as the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the Oakland Community Police Review Agency, police said.
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