The Sheriff’s Department in Orange County, California, released video on Wednesday of a fatal officer-involved shooting last year that resulted in the death of a black man who was stopped for allegedly jaywalking.
Footage showed two unidentified deputies, who are part of the county’s homeless outreach division, stopping Kurt Andras Reinhold, 42, where they saw him near a busy intersection in San Clemente. The law enforcement personnel approached Reinhold after debating whether he was jaywalking and directed him to stop.
“Are you going to stop or are we going to have to make you stop?” one of the deputies asked.
“For what?” Reinhold can be heard asking, before he’s told it’s for jaywalking. “What are you talking about? I’m walking,” he said, voiced raised, as a struggle ensued.
The 42-year-old was wrestled to the ground after arguing with the pair and refusing to obey commands, public affairs Sgt. Dennis Breckner said. While tussling on the sidewalk, one of the deputies can be heard saying, “He’s got my gun,” before two shots were fired. Law enforcement performed CPR on Reinhold following the gunfire, but it was unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, Breckner added.
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The Sept. 23 incident sparked protests in San Clemente in the days following, leading city officials to impose a curfew “to ensure public safety and access for emergency responders.” The fatal shooting came four months after the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day. Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. A summer of social unrest ensued, filled with demonstrations across the country against police brutality and racial inequality.
The family of Reinhold, who was reportedly homeless, filed a wrongful death lawsuit shortly after the events became public. Lawyers said the video “confirms what we knew all along – the involved deputies had no reason to stop Mr. Reinhold.”
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“The OC Sheriffs Homeless Liaison Officers use pretext reasons to stop anyone for any reason they want, simply to harass the person,” attorney John Taylor wrote. “These officers created and escalated the confrontation with Kurt Reinhold causing his death.”
Top brass at the sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing and may continue through the end of 2021. Officials have yet to make a determination if the incident aligns with department policy.
