James Garcia Death Update: Phoenix Police Release Bodycam Footage Of Driveway Shooting

The Phoenix Police Department released bodycam footage Monday, July 20, showing the fatal shooting of James Garcia on July 4.

The video release included 911 audio from a caller who reported a man who stabbed him had returned to the area and was threatening him again. Officers investigating the stabbing incident near 56th and Glenrosa Avenues arrived at the scene and made contact with several people at the Phoenix home.

"The caller told officers the suspect was a Hispanic man approximately 28 years old and that he believed his first name was Eric," a press release from the Phoenix police stated.

Officers then found a man seated inside a vehicle at the driveway of the residence.

In the tense and expletive-laced bodycam footage, an officer is seen approaching the vehicle and requesting the man to stop the engine and get out of the driving seat. After he refuses to do so, the officer begins questioning him during which he gives various fake names and birth dates.

The officer is then heard convincing the man to get out of the car, explaining this was a crime scene.

"If this turns into some kind of shooting, I don’t need you sitting here getting shot while we’re shooting and then blaming us," the officer is heard in the video.

"I’m not going to get shot,” the driver replies. "I feel safe in here."

Even after repeatedly trying to persuade him for more than 10 minutes, the driver refused to get out of the vehicle. That’s when one of the officers noticed him pick up a gun. In the video, the officer is heard yelling he will open fire if the man lifts the gun. However, in the video, the driver is not seen holding a gun.

The man can’t be heard behind the glass, but can clearly be seen bringing his head close to the window and mouthing "shoot me."

The officer at the driver’s side of the vehicle asks another cop on the passenger side to "take the window out," who then with two swings of a club breaks the window while two officers on the other side open fire at the driver.

Another officer arrives at the scene after the shooting, whose bodycam footage released previously showed him retrieving the gun from the man’s lap.

None of the names provided to the officers by the man in the car were real. He was later identified as Garcia after investigating his fingerprints.

According to Police Chief Jeri Williams, the previously released video showed only a fraction of the deadly confrontation.

"There was rumor or talk out there that the individual in the car was unarmed," Police Chief Jeri Williams told KPNX on Thursday. "We wanted to make sure people out there saw the actual information."

After the incident sparked protests across the city, the Phoenix police released a new set of videos Monday.

“The purpose of this video is to provide a summary of what happened. As you watch the attached video, you will see a one-minute unedited clip of the shooting from two different angles. Lengthy unedited clips from the body-worn cameras of all five officers’ who were near the car around the time of the shooting will be provided to the media in conjunction with this critical incident briefing for their independent review and publication,” the police said in the statement.

The 11 minute 49 seconds long video was originally set to be released last week but was delayed at the request of Garcia's family until his funeral Friday, July 17.

On Friday, the authorities identified the two officers from the Maryvale/Estrella Mountain Precinct involved in the shooting. Officers Noel Trevino, 29, and Gregory Wilson, 31, were put on administrative leave following the fatal shooting.

“Garcia had outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants for his arrest. Through interviews and other investigative efforts, detectives learned that Garcia recently came into possession of the firearm. Since he was on probation, Garcia was a prohibited possessor,” the police statement read.

The police, however, confirmed Garcia was not the suspect involved in the stabbing incident, KTAR News reported.