GLENDALE, AZ — The Glendale Police Department has released more information and body camera footage of an officer-involved shooting that led to the death of a 17-year-old boy last month.
Officers responded to reports of multiple shots fired during the early morning hours of October 13 near 68th and Northern avenues.The first arriving officer, a four-year veteran of the police department, reportedly found 200 people fleeing the area from a party in the industrial district.
An officer engaged one of the alleged shooters, identified as 17-year-old Levy Isaac Madueno Santibanez, firing his department-issued rifle and striking the teen. Crews rendered aid, but Santibanez was pronounced dead at the scene. Roth said the officer was not injured, and no other victims were found.
Several witnesses posted social media videos of the shooting scene. Some claimed Santibanez was not holding a gun and was walking away when he was killed. Glendale police said they recovered a gun from Santibanez after he shot into the crowd at the party.
According to the department's preliminary investigation, approximately 60 rounds were fired at the party, including rounds from Santibanez's handgun. Investigators said they found spent shell casings from at least five different weapons.
**Warning the video below from Glendale Police Department contains images that some may find disturbing**
The Glendale Fraternal Order of Police released the following statement Friday, the day Glendale police announced that body camera video and more information was available:
We hope the public and members of the media will wait for all the facts to come out before rendering final judgement regarding the actions of Officer Dylan Ansell. With that said, this preliminary review of Officer Ansell’s actions show him following City of Glendale policy exactly as we are trained to do.
Arriving at a 911 emergency call for multiple shots fired, Officer Ansell observes muzzle flashes, hears gunshots and sees a suspect aiming his gun into a crowd. Responding to what he reasonably believed was an active shooter, Officer Ansell followed policy by arming himself and swiftly moving to neutralize this urgent threat. Officer Ansell commanded the suspect multiple times to raise his hands and get on the ground. Video from the scene shows the suspect disregarding these commands and instead running away from Officer Ansell with his hands near his waist where he had concealed his Glock .40 caliber handgun after firing it.
Ultimately, surveillance video from a nearby business shows the armed suspect turn toward Officer Ansell. As the briefing narration explains, ‘Officer Ansell feared for the lives of those still fleeing the area and for his own life as the armed suspect turned towards him.
Again, while this investigation remains ongoing, we believe this preliminary briefing makes a compelling case that Officer Ansell was justified in his decision to use lethal force to stop an active shooter.
