Unarmed Man Shot by Police While Sitting in His Own Car: A police officer in Orlando fatally shot 26-year-old Derek Diaz as he sat in a stationary car. Diaz was defenceless. In an emotional farewell earlier this month, Derek Diaz declared to his mother, “Mom, I love you.”
Sonja Nava, the child’s mother, told HuffPost, “That was the last time anyone saw him.” On July 3 in Orlando, Diaz, age 26, was stopped by police while seated in his parked car. Police shot and killed Diaz in less than one minute.
Body camera footage of the shooting was shown to Diaz’s relatives at his mother’s home. His mother, Yaneri Diaz, displayed his preschool report cards to her extended family with pride. She discreetly sobbed in the background before gathering enough composure to speak with HuffPost over the phone.
The brother of Derek Diaz, Jordan Claxton, described his sibling as a basketball player and TikTok user who relished spending time with family. Diaz began working in the HVAC industry late last year after earning certification in that discipline.
Diaz, born in Queens, spent his formative years in New Jersey. According to his relatives, he has lived in Orlando for two years. Nava expressed concern for the future of her 5-year-old daughter following Diaz’s death at the hands of police and hoped that the officer culpable for Diaz’s death would face consequences.
What Occurred Throughout The Shooting?
Wednesday afternoon, following pressure from Diaz’s family and their counsel, national civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, the Orlando Police Department released body camera footage of the tragic incident.
The video depicts an officer cycling past a row of parked cars and eventually approaching Diaz, who is seen sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle with the window rolled down.
The officer commands Diaz to turn off his vehicle and audio. Diaz responds, “Yes, sir,” while holding his phone and several bundles of aluminium foil. The officer insists Diaz hand him the aluminium foil. With apologies, he hands over the aluminium foil. Diaz complies with the officer’s command and positions both hands on the steering wheel.
Diaz removes his hand from the steering wheel and moves it towards a stowage compartment before pausing briefly. When the driver fails to comply with the officer’s command to “Put your hands on the wheel!” they appear to simultaneously discharge a gun.
The officer departs the vehicle and sprints in reverse as a second officer approaches. The second officer wishes to know if anyone has fired a weapon. “Yes, I did,” affirms the first officer.
The officers demand that Diaz expose his hands while pointing their firearms at the vehicle. However, Diaz is slumped in the driver’s seat and appears incapacitated as they approach the vehicle.
The police remove Diaz from the vehicle and attempt to assist him, but he does not exhibit any indications of life. He was pronounced deceased at the hospital after being rushed there. The vehicle and Diaz were searched, but no weapons were found.
Officer Jose Velez, who has served for three years with the Orlando police department, has been named.
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Unarmed Man Shot by Police While Sitting in His Own Car:
In a statement released alongside the body-worn camera footage, police claimed Diaz threw a substance out of the vehicle window, which was later determined to be illegal drugs. The bodycam footage does not indicate whether Diaz flung anything from his vehicle.
The Huffington Post has reached out to the police department for comment, but they have yet to respond. Diaz’s family is now pursuing retribution. Additionally, they believe that Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, should express regret over their son’s passing. When prompted for a statement about the incident, DeSantis’s office did not respond.
DeSantis and Orlando’s state attorney, Monique Worrell, have been at odds for months over her decision not to aggressively pursue s*x trafficking cases. Some believe he is preparing to remove Worrell from office, as he did with former Hillsborough County district attorney Andrew Warren.
The Diaz family doubts whether Governor Ducey will hold law enforcement, specifically the officer who shot and killed Diaz, to the same high standards he promotes in his campaign speeches.
Claxton stated, “He should because everyone should be held accountable for their actions.” No matter who you are or your position of authority, if you commit an offence, you should be held accountable.
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