Vallejo Police release footage of June 27 police shooting

VALLEJO – The Vallejo Police Department on Thursday released dash and body camera videos of Officer Brad Kim shooting Jamazea Kittell in the face when Kittell allegedly hit Kim with his car as he fled the scene of a burglary on Springs Road two weeks ago.

A dash cam video shows Kim arrive at the scene, get out of his vehicle and cross in front of a stationary vehicle with his weapon drawn and pointed at the windshield of the car. As Kim reaches the driver’s side front corner, the vehicle moves and contacts Kim’s body, pushing him to the side of the vehicle.

The dash cam footage from another officer shows the vehicle cross the street and crash into a building. On Kim’s body cam recording, he can be heard calling out, “shots fired, shots fired” after he gets up from the ground and pursues the vehicle on foot. As Kim approached the vehicle, the body cam shows Kittell get out of the vehicle and fall to the ground with his face on the pavement. Officers handcuffed Kittell and searched his pockets.

Interim Police Chief Jason Ta played the footage at a town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon. He said that the shooting occurred while Kim was on the hood of the vehicle and that he discharged his weapon four times. It is difficult to tell from the videos exactly when Kim fires his weapon.

The town hall was held at Elmer Cave Language Academy, just a few blocks from the shooting at Grand gas at 1401 Springs Road.

Kim shot Kittell in the lower part of his face in the early morning hours of June 27. Police allege Kittell was committing a burglary at the Grand gas station at Springs Road and Hilton Avenue. Police radio broadcasts from that time indicate that the gas station’s owner watched four or five people on live surveillance video enter the building. Officers pursued another suspect to the Hercules area, but that person escaped after driving into a rural area and fleeing on foot.

Kittell has since been released from the hospital and appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of attempted murder of a police officer, burglary and two related to vehicle theft. His arraignment was postponed until later this month.

During the town hall, the department also presented photos of two bullet holes in the silver Dodge Charger that Kittell was driving. One hole is in the windshield on the driver’s side and the other is in the driver’s side rear passenger door.

Jamazea Kittell’s father, Reggie Kittell, attended the town hall, and asked how the bullet hole ended up in the rear door; he asked if that shot had been fired by other officers on the scene. Ta said that Kim was the only officer who fired during this incident.

After the town hall, Reggie Kittell said that Kim jumped out of his patrol vehicle and shot his son who was unarmed. “Wow, this is terrible,” he said. “He didn’t care who was in the car.”

Community member Beverly McGain, who spoke at the town hall, criticized the decision to hold the meeting in the afternoon when fewer people would be available to attend.

“I am really concerned having this incident discussed at such a small forum at 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. – hardly anyone is here,” she said. “It seems like more of the same. People that I have notified said ‘What’s the point in going? We have said it, they have heard us and now it’s at 4 to 6. I’m not going.’”

During the meeting there were approximately 25 attendees seated in the audience section. About 11 city workers or officials sat or stood at two tables off to the side including Councilmember Diosdado “JR” Matulac, Assistant City Manager Gillian Hayes and Public Works Director Melissa Tigbao.

Housing activist and recent appointee to the Housing and Community Development Commission Joey Carrizales questioned the department’s statements indicating that Kim had rolled onto the hood of the vehicle. “Did he roll onto the hood of the charger or did he roll off to the side of the charger on the bumper or the fender?

“The hood,” Ta said.

Carrizales also asked why the department chose to hold the town hall at 4 p.m. “Do you think that if you really want the transparency to regain the trust of the city a much later time would have been more appropriate so that you could have possibly double the size [of attendance]?”

“That’s valuable feedback,” Ta said. “This is our first [Critical Incident Townhall] and so we appreciate that feedback and we can learn and improve this process.”

Public Information Officer Sgt. Rashad Hollis said that he formatted the town hall meeting by watching similar meetings conducted by the San Francisco Police Department. In San Francisco, the department holds an event in the weeks after a shooting in the same neighborhood where it took place and screens body camera video.

Another community member expressed support for the department in managing their work with the current staffing problems. “I appreciate you keeping our streets and our families as safe as possible.” she said.

Vallejo resident Carlos Soloranzo, who lives in the Country Club Crest neighborhood, encouraged people to get involved in their community rather than complaining and he emphasized his support for the police department.

At the beginning of the meeting, Capt. Bob Knight, who is in charge of implementing 45 reforms required by the California Department of Justice, explained that the town hall is part of the department’s efforts to address DOJ reforms and is intended to improve transparency and communication.

Although the department has only completed eight of the 45 reforms, Knight described a list of new training programs that the department implemented during the three-year period. He said that, prior to the incident, Kim had received new training on use of force including less lethal force, arrest and control methods, and de-escalation methods.

Knight said that the department has also implemented new procedures for investigations of officer shootings. Under the new protocol, the Solano County Major Crimes Task Force which is overseen by the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, is performing the criminal investigation into the incident and the Vallejo Police Department is not involved.

In addition to the criminal investigation performed by the task force, Knight said the city has hired the Renne Public Law Group to conduct an outside investigation into whether the shooting followed department policies.

Editor's note: This story has been updated following the release of video on Thursday.