The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has released more information — and video — from the April 18 critical incident that saw deputies shoot two suspects, leaving them in critical condition.
As required under a new state law, the sheriff’s office today released video from the investigation — including footage pulled from a nearby surveillance camera and one deputy’s body-worn camera — along with additional information about the incident. In a video discussing the shooting, Sheriff William Honsal disclosed that deputies fired a total of 32 shots at the suspects after one of them allegedly fired a single shot at the officers.
The shooting came after a report of an armed robbery at the Bayshore Mall led to a police pursuit that ended when the suspect vehicle crashed at the intersection of Harris and Dolbeer streets in Eureka, at which point the suspects — Brandon and Jesse Widmark, 27 and 18, respectively — allegedly got out of their car with rifles in hand.
Security footage included as a part of the “critical incident video” released by the sheriff’s office today doesn’t capture the shooting on video, as it occurred down the street from the camera, but it did get audio. In the video, the impact of the car crash can be heard, then approaching sirens, then what sounds like a single loud rifle shot, which is quickly followed by a volley of handgun fire. There’s then a 15-second pause in the shooting before a final quick burst of handgun shots can be heard. The body worn camera footage seems to capture that last cluster of gunshots, showing deputies approaching the scene of the crash with guns drawn, yelling “Don’t reach” repeatedly before one yells, “Hey, drop the …” and his command is cut off by a cluster of gunshots.
Honsal says in the critical incident video that Sgt. Conan Moore fired 17 shots, deputy Chad Crotty fired 14 times and deputy Luke Mathieson fired once during the incident. All officers involved have returned to duty, he said.
How many times the suspects were shot, and by which deputies, remains under investigation, Honsal said.
The Widmark brothers, both of whom were booked into the Humboldt County jail last month after spending weeks in critical condition in a local hospital, face a litany of charges in the case, including the attempted murder of a peace officer, exhibiting a firearm at a police officer, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon
Watch the full video released by the sheriff's office below:
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