An Orange County Sheriff’s deputy is allegedly seen on bodycam footage shooting a man in Walmart earlier this year.
NBC Los Angeles reports that deputies were called to the Foothill Ranch Walmart in Orange County after receiving a call about a man named Ernesto Paul Aguilar, 30, and a woman allegedly trying to steal some items on Jan. 19. A Walmart employee can be heard telling one of the cops that she saw a “fake Walmart receipt” on Aguilar’s phone on body-cam footage. She added that he had “high-end merchandise” in his grocery store basket.
The woman who was with Aguilar said the two were shopping for her. At one point, Aguilar pulled out a wad of cash and told officers that he was about to pay for what was in his cart. Officers then told the man and woman that if they left, they would do the same. They added that they wouldn’t take them to jail but that they would be charged with trespassing and no longer be allowed in the store. The news outlet reports that the woman was moved away from the man, and Aguilar is asked to go outside.
“Why are you doing this, you’re like 40 years old, and you’re still stealing, dude? Get a job. Let’s go,” a deputy says.
Aguilar then goes for a knife that’s in his pocket, and a deputy notices. Don’t reach for it! Get your f***ing hand off it,” says the deputy. That’s when the officers start grabbing Aguilar. The woman says she didn’t know Aguilar had any weapons.
One of the deputies says he’s got a gun and then tells the other cops to shoot him. As the officers and Aguilar wrestle on the floor, a witness jumps in and holds Aguilar down, and at some point, says, “shoot him.” A deputy then pulls out a gun and shoots Aguilar, who afterward can be heard saying, “I’m dying.” The woman was not arrested, and Aguilar is currently still recovering from the gunshot wound to his head.
