Fresno police have released body-worn camera footage from a September 1 shootout that left 42-year-old David Rascon wounded after officers say he opened fire on them. The critical incident video, posted Thursday, shows two patrol officers exchanging gunfire with Rascon after he allegedly pointed a weapon at a third officer and fired multiple rounds. No officers or bystanders were hurt in the confrontation, which happened just before 3 a.m. Officers had responded to a ShotSpotter activation near the 300 block of South Orchard Street.
According to gvwire.com, officers responded about 2:45 a.m. to a ShotSpotter activation that flagged a single gunshot near the 300 block of South Orchard Street. When officers arrived, police say Rascon ran while holding a firearm and pointed it at a third officer before firing multiple times, prompting two officers to return fire. Rascon was struck multiple times by the gunfire and taken to Community Regional Medical Center, per the outlet.
The Fresno Police Department posted the full critical incident video, which includes body-worn camera footage and other material from the night of the shooting, to its Facebook page Thursday, along with a link to the unedited video on YouTube. The department said the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing and that it would not offer additional comment beyond the release of the footage itself.
What Investigators Say They Recovered
Investigators recovered a loaded, privately made firearm tied to Rascon at the scene, the station's report notes. The gun reportedly had one spent casing in the chamber, and two additional spent casings were found nearby.
Rascon now faces three counts of attempted murder of a peace officer and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer involving a firearm, according to the same account. He also faces additional firearm-possession charges and a parole violation stemming from the incident.
Where the Case Goes From Here
As with other officer-involved shootings in Fresno, the findings from the investigation will be turned over to the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, Internal Affairs and the Office of Independent Review, per gvwire.com's reporting. The City of Fresno's own police records page states that all officer-involved shootings are forwarded to the District Attorney for review, though the evidence does not establish the current court status or any hearing dates tied to Rascon's charges.
The two officers involved were assigned to the Fresno Police Department's Patrol Division, according to kmph.com.
Second Shooting of the Year for Fresno Officers
The September 1 incident marked the second time this year that Fresno officers fired their weapons in the line of duty, as reported by abc30.com. The first came in June, when Fresno police released critical incident video from a shooting that killed 42-year-old Ricardo Leon, according to gvwire.com's earlier reporting. In that case, officers reportedly spent about seven minutes ordering Leon to drop his gun and continued trying to de-escalate for another 15 minutes before he fired two rounds in an unknown direction and was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The June footage, like Thursday's release, included body-worn camera video along with security-camera footage and the 911 call that first brought officers to the scene. Findings from that investigation were likewise submitted to the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, Internal Affairs and the Office of Independent Review. The City of Fresno's Office of Independent Review has described releasing critical incident video as part of an effort to provide transparency, though the agency's review process for the Rascon case has not yet produced a public outcome.
