Handling of officer-involved shooting questioned
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Questions still linger about the internal affairs handling of the officer-involved shooting death of Nathaniel Sanders in May 2009.
Austin Police Officer Leonardo Quintana shot and killed Sanders in East Austin on duty while investigating a series of armed robberies in the area. Evidence shows the officer fired three shots, hitting the 19-year-old in the chest and the back of the head. Quintana said Sanders was reaching for a gun.
Through the major events and developments, how officials responded, community reaction and analysis, Click here to review the case in its entirety.
Dominic Gonzales has served on the Citizen Review Panel since 2007. He said in his time serving the CRP, the Sanders shooting case has received the most public scrutiny.
"I think the public cares about transparency. I think the public has a deep desire to understand how law enforcement works, why decisions are made and how law enforcement officers are kept accountable for their actions," he said.
Gonzales said there are checks and balances to ensure an internal affairs review is fair. He goes on to tell News 8 Austin that more transparency is needed to avoid the perception of any impropriety by police.
"I think we have a system that is transparent currently. Can improvements be made? Can more transparency be built into the system? Yes," he said.
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said he stands by the findings of his department’s internal investigation.
"This community asked for a process that included the civilian review panel. They asked for a process including the Office of Police Monitor. They asked for a process that included an outside investigation," he said. "And that process worked."