A Surprise police shooting from last year is resurfacing more than six months later because of new body camera footage.
It shows what happened in the early morning hours of November 26, 2016.
Police were originally called to 177th Avenue and Voltaire Street after receiving reports about a suspicious car.
When officers arrived, Surprise police saye 20-year-old Derek Adame began being combative and attempted to drive away from the area. A police report from the incident shows Officer Joseph Gruver claimed he was dragged before he shot Adame.
The body camera shows two officers surrounding Adame’s car. You can hear officers confirm that his license plate is coming up as stolen.
One of the officers, Gruver, approaches Adame’s passenger door and orders Derek to put his hands up. Gruver steps into the car and seconds later shots being fired are heard. Adame’s car drags Gruver for a short while and later crashes into a nearby truck.
Body camera footage from Gruver’s partner shows Gruver going into the car and the vehicle rolling before the shots rang out.
Adame’s family claims the video proves negligence and possibly excessive force by Gruver. They’ve filed a notice of claim against the City of Surprise and Gruver.
Surprise police declined to comment on camera citing the on-going investigation into the shooting. They instead sent a statement which reads:
“There is an active and ongoing investigation regarding this matter. As such, it would be inappropriate for us to make any comments at this time.”
