Type Death Deaths 1 | Cause Shooting Accused Philip Brailsford | |
Date January 18, 2016 (2016-01-18) Location La Quinta Inns & Suites, Mesa, Arizona, United States | ||
On January 18, 2016, Daniel Shaver was shot and killed in Mesa, Arizona, by Mesa Police Department officer Philip Brailsford. Shaver was allegedly in possession of an air rifle while he was staying at a La Quinta Inns & Suites hotel. The air rifle was seen displayed from a hotel window, which prompted an anonymous call to the police. Following an investigation, Brailsford was charged with second-degree murder. Controversy emerged surrounding the release of body camera footage of the event.
Contents
Incident
According to a police report, Daniel Shaver, a pest-control worker and resident of Texas, had been staying at a Mesa La Quinta Inn on business. He invited two acquaintances to his room for drinks, where he showed them a pellet gun he was using to exterminate birds inside grocery stores. At one point the gun was pointed towards his hotel window prompting a witness to call police. Upon arrival, police ordered Shaver to crawl towards them. While complying with their request, Shaver, who was intoxicated, made several hand motions towards his waist, apparently to pull his shorts up. An officer warned Shaver that if he kept reaching for his waist, they would shoot. Shaver could be heard sobbing, asking officers, "Please don't shoot."
When Shaver reached for his waist again, Brailsford yelled, "Don't," before shooting Shaver five times in the back and neck with an AR-15 rifle. Shaver was unarmed.
Aftermath
In early March, Brailsford was charged with second-degree murder in relation to the incident. Later that month, the Mesa police department, citing several policy violations, including etching profane language into his service rifle, and unsatisfactory performance, fired Brailsford. Brailsford pleaded not guilty.
Body camera footage
Shaver's wife, Laney Sweet, and her lawyer requested that the Mesa Police Department release body-cam footage of the event. The request for the body-cam footage was refused. In a recording released by Sweet, purportedly of a meeting between her and Maricopa County prosecutors, Sweet was told that she could watch the video only if she agreed not to discuss its contents with the press. Prosecutors and defense attorneys in Brailsford's murder trial asked that the body-cam footage be sealed. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sam Myers accepted the motion to seal the footage.