The family of a 20-year-old Hayward man, Juan Diego Bernal Yuriar, still has no conclusive answers in his fatal shooting on July 3 by law enforcement—either an Alameda County sheriff's deputy or a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer, according to a KTVU article. Two weeks after the tragedy, the coroner's refusal to release the name of the young man under a "press hold" has only intensified the family's demand for transparency.
Yuriar's aunt, Donna Yurirar, has openly requested the release of body camera footage from the officer-involved shooting in the unincorporated Ashland area, and both KTVU and the family's civil attorney, Sandra Romero, have also submitted requests for the same footage.
Alameda County Sheriff's Lt. Tya Modeste has yet to release the body camera footage, citing an ongoing investigation involving the Department of Justice. Moreover, the state Attorney General has been taking approximately two years to complete investigations into unarmed civilian police shootings.
The fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of July 3, when a CHP officer was following four suspects wearing ski masks, aged between 15 and 20 years, in a stolen Hyundai. When a deputy arrived to assist, both law enforcement officers opened fire after the 20-year-old suspect, later identified as Juan Diego Yuriar, failed to comply with their commands. Lt. Modeste stated that it appeared as if Yuriar was attempting to disarm the CHP officer.
An Alameda County Sheriff's Office's Facebook post states that during the early investigation stages of the officer-involved shooting, it seemed the suspect was trying to take the CHP officer's firearm after engaging in a violent struggle and failing to follow verbal commands from both the CHP officer and ACSO deputy. You can read the Facebook post here.
However, Donna Yurirar spoke with one of the three friends who were in the car that night, acknowledging that the boys were "joyriding" in a stolen vehicle and that her nephew was struggling with the CHP officer. But according to the friend, Yuriar was not reaching for the officer's gun, as stated in the KTVU article.
Regarding the ski masks the boys were wearing, Donna Yurirar explained that they often wore them to protect their faces from the cold when riding bicycles at night. She also said the family acknowledges the possibility of Yuriar being in the wrong but wishes for police to release the pertinent information so they can make their own judgment.
