Scottsdale police released details of the shooting in a Critical Incident Briefing video on April 4. The briefings are narrated by officers and contain snippets of dispatch audio and footage from security and body-worn cameras. The briefing on Santos' death showed him confronting someone at a gas station and arguing with officers after they stopped him in his car.
The briefing does not clearly show Santos with a weapon and it notably neglects to mention that no gun was recovered. Sgt. Allison Sempsis, the department's public information officer, shared that information Tuesday after Phoenix New Times asked about it.
"Ultimately, a gun was not located inside the vehicle," Sempsis said in an email.
Santos landed on police radar after another driver called 911 to report that Santos brandished a gun at a 76 gas station near McKellips Road and Scottsdale Road. Security cam footage included in the briefing shows two cars pull up to pumps at the station, after which a driver in a red truck gets out to tell Santos that Santos had hit his truck.
"You hit the truck, bro!" said the man, whom Scottsdale police have not identified.
Santos gets out of his car to approach the other man's truck, looking it over. As the two men circle the truck, Santos appears to reach for his waistband, prompting the other man to run into the gas station's convenience store. Though the man told the gas station attendant and later a police dispatcher that Santos had a gun, no gun is visible in the footage.
As the man exited the gas station to make a phone call, Santos returned to his SUV and drove aggressively toward him before turning and driving away from the gas station. Police said the man then called police, reporting that Santos was drunk and that he had "pulled out a gun."
Gas station security camera footage showed Santos, near the red truck, reaching toward his waistband, though the footage never showed him with a gun.
Scottsdale Police Department
How the shooting happened
Police said they located Santos' vehicle near East McDowell Road and Granite Reef Road, where an officer initiated a traffic stop. Police said Santos "failed to stop" and officers did not pursue him. In the briefing, Sempsis said an officer in an unmarked vehicle "maintained a visual of Santos" and could see that he was driving back to the Bixby Hotel, where he'd allegedly hit the other man's truck.Footage included in the briefing appears to show Santos' car entering the hotel parking lot, which is lit up by police lights. Police said Santos parked behind a patrol car and was boxed in by an unmarked police vehicle. At least two officers then approach Santos' car from the passenger side with guns drawn.
Video shows Santos had his hands in the air before lowering them, prompting an officer to tell him to keep them up.
"Shoot me!" Santos can be heard saying multiple times.
Officers then move toward the front of the car, and body-cam video shows Santos stripping off his shirt and tossing it out the window. An officer then pushes a police dog through the passenger side window as Santos' right arm dips behind the passenger seat. Another officer then opens fire, shooting at least 12 times through the front windshield. From the video included in the briefing, it does not appear any officer verbally called out that Santos had a gun.
Police said both Santos and the dog were struck by bullets. Sempsis said officers pulled Santos out and began life-saving aid. He was eventually pronounced dead at the scene. Sempsis added that the police dog has returned to full duty after being released from the hospital.
The officer who shot Santos has been with the department for 13 years. Scottsdale police have not released the officer's name. Sempsis directed questions to Mesa police, who are investigating the incident as part of the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team. A Mesa police spokesperson said the EVCIRT investigation is ongoing and "all the information will be released" when it is complete.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office will review the investigation and could bring criminal charges.
Santos' death appears to be the first at the hands of Scottsdale police in nearly a year. In March 2024, Scottsdale police shot and killed a man who fired on them after a traffic stop.
