Arizona Police Department pays out $1.1M to family of armed boy, 17, shot dead by cop while running away after being stopped for broken bike light
The family of an armed 17-year-old who was fatally shot by an Arizona cop in January will receive a $1.1million settlement to 'bring closure.'
As part of the settlement, the city of Chandler, which is a suburb of Phoenix, admitted no fault for the death of Anthony Cano, who was shot twice in the back by Officer Chase Bebak-Miller.
Bebak-Miller stopped Cano for a broken bike light, and Cano ran until he tripped and a gun fell out of his pocket.
In the bodycam footage released by police, Bebak-Miller is heard shouting, 'Weapon drawn! Get on the ground!' and then fires fractions of a second later, causing Cano to collapse.
A second later, the officer fired again while Cano was lying face down on the ground.
Bebak-Miller, a five-year veteran of the force, was placed on leave after the shooting, is serving 'in a modified assignment.'
The family's lawyer said in a statement that Cano should still be alive today.
'He and his beloved family should be laughing at Anthony's antics, loving one another, and planning for their joint futures,' Kuykendall said in a statement to the Arizona Republic. 'Instead, Anthony is dead … His mother is absolutely distraught. His siblings are beyond anguished. His many friends are lost, alone and angry.'
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Cano died from his injuries at the hospital three weeks later
Anthony Cano, 17, was fatally shot by an Arizona police officer on Jan. 2. His family received a $1.1million settlement
The Chandler City Council unanimously approved the settlements on Thursday, awarding $1 million to Cano's mother, Kathleen Renee Clum, and $125,000 to his father, Anthony Cano Sr., the Arizona Republic reported.
The fatal encounter began on January 2 around 9:20pm when Bebak-Miller noticed Cano riding a bicycle without a front headlight near Gazelle Meadows Park, police said. Bebak-Miller turned on his lights and sirens after Cano began weaving into both lanes of traffic.
After Cano was shot and was being cuffed, he can be heard on the bodycam footage saying, 'I don't want to die,' as officers cuffed his hands.
Cano was taken to a hospital where he died on January 23, authorities said.
In a video interview with the Arizona Republic, Cano's aunt, Eva Cano, said through tears, 'A lot of things could've been done differently. I think there were some bad choices on both parts.'
The police department quickly released this photo showing Cano's handgun with an extended magazine
She said her nephew could've stopped, but it was 9pm at night, 'and no one wants to stop at night in this neighborhood.'
Eva also said when the gun fell out of his shorts, he should've just left it alone.
'I think the quick decision to shoot him and shoot him a second time for no rhyme or reason I think could've been handled differently,' she told the Arizona paper.
The video put together by the Arizona Republic shows Eva Cano tending to a memorial for Anthony with candles, pictures, flowers and a cross.
Cano's mother previously questioned why her son was stopped in the first place, The Arizona Republic reported.
'He was scared, coming home. He wasn't doing anything wrong other than riding a bike without a light,' she said.
Anthony's aunt, Eva, around a memorial for her nephew in Chandler, Arizona
Cano's mom described her son as a 'bright and shining star' who was trying to figure out his purpose in life. She said he attended bible study and was excited about taking college courses
'I don't want to die': Bodycam video shows boy, 17, pleading with cops after he is fatally shot twice in the back when reaching for a gun he had dropped on the floor
Police in Arizona have released new, unedited body camera video of an officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Anthony Cano twice in the back after he reached for a gun he dropped while attempting to flee.
Cano was shot in early January in Chandler and died from his injuries in the hospital three weeks later.
The five-minute video came a little more than a week after Cano's friends and family gathered in front of City Hall calling for increased transparency into the officer-involved shooting, The Arizona Republic reported.
The Chandler Police Department in Arizona has released unedited body camera video from the January 2 shooting of 17-year-old Anthony Cano
The department previously released a narrated three-minute edited video in January, along with photos of Cano holding his gun and the gun itself, which had an extended magazine, KTVK-TV reported.
The encounter began on January 2 at around 9.20pm when Officer Chase Bebak-Miller noticed Cano riding a bicycle without a front headlight near Gazelle Meadows Park, police said. Bebak-Miller activated his lights and sirens after Cano began weaving into both lanes of traffic.
The newly released video shows Cano later abandoning the bicycle and running toward the park. Bebak-Miller chases after Cano on foot and shouts at him to stop seconds before seeing Cano drop a gun and reach to pick it up.
Bebak-Miller shouts, 'Weapon drawn! Get on the ground!' less than a second before shooting Cano once in the back at close range, causing Cano to collapse.
A second later the officer fired again while Cano was lying face down on the ground.
The video then shows Bebak-Miller telling Cano to put his hands behind his back, to which Cano replies, 'I'm sorry, sir. I can't' before eventually managing to slowly move his hands behind his back.
Cano tells police he does not want to die, and also says he cannot feel his legs
This screenshot from Bebak-Miller's body camera video shows officers coming to Cano's aid while he is still handcuffed
'Hey, I want to help you, OK?' Bebak-Miller said.
As other officers arrive at the scene, Cano then pleads for officers to 'hurry.'
Cano can be heard saying, 'I don't want to die,' as officers cuff his hands. Authorities then administer first aid to one of the bullet wounds as Cano explains he was trying to throw the gun away, and at one point said he couldn't feel his legs. Bebak-Miller turns off his body camera shortly after.
Cano was taken to a hospital where he died on January 23, authorities said.
Bebak-Miller, who has been with the department for five years, has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting, which is standard procedure.
The Chandler Police Department completed its investigation and submitted the case to the Maricopa County attorney's office for review. Once that is complete, the police department's Use of Force Review Board will look at the case before submitting it to a citizens review panel.
Cano's mother, Renee Clum, questioned last week why her son was stopped in the first place, The Arizona Republic reported.
'He was scared, coming home. He wasn't doing anything wrong other than riding a bike without a light,' she said.
Cano's mother, Renee Clum, questioned last week why her son was stopped in the first place
In a Facebook post on February 26, Clum described her son as a 'bright and shining star' trying to figure out his purpose in life, who attended Bible study and was excited to take college courses.
'On January 2, 2021, Chandler PD did not take a bad guy off the streets, Galveston neighborhood was not made safer by the removal of a criminal, he was not a gangbanger, he didnt even have NOT one tattoo,' she wrote.
Clum continued: 'A parent should never have to lose a child, and never at the hands of police, who are supposed to protect us and help us.'