Supporters of a measure to restrict the use of deadly force by police, stand in the gallery as Elizabeth Medrano Escobedo, the mother of police shooting victim Christian Escobedo, testifies in favor of the bill, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A grieving mother choked up as she questioned why police didn’t use other tactics instead of killing her son. A deputy recalled the terror of second-guessing herself as she traded fire with a suspect who killed her partner.
The emotional testimony Tuesday came before California lawmakers advanced a first-in-the-nation measure restricting when police can use deadly force, one of two radically different legislative proposals seeking to cut down on deadly shootings in the nation’s most populous state.
The measure faces a tougher fight in the full Assembly. Even some supporters on the public safety committee said it goes too far and will require changes as lawmakers try to balance the safety of officers and those they’re tasked with protecting.
Last year’s police shooting of unarmed vandalism suspect Stephon Clark in Sacramento inspired the legislation that would allow officers to kill only if there is no reasonable alternative, such as verbal persuasion or other non-lethal methods of resolution or de-escalation.
“It’s time to make clear that the sanctity of human life is policing’s highest priority,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber of San Diego, adding later that her proposal “is designed to change the culture of policing in California.”