What We Know About the Police Killing of an Unarmed California Teen

Police in Fresno, California, say they were looking for a man with a rifle last month when Dylan Noble sped by in his black pickup truck. After a half-mile chase, the 19-year-old pulled into a Chevron station, where officers quickly confronted him, demanding he put his hands up. Noble got out of the truck, moved toward the officers, and ignored repeated warnings to stop reaching into his waistband, the cops claim.

The officers proceeded to put two bullets into Noble's body before moving closer, issuing another command for him to put his hands down, and pumping two more––including a shotgun blast––into the teen after he was down, as the Associated Press reports.

Noble died on June 25, but the body-cam video showing his demise was just released Wednesday. And while the police shooting may not be as as patently unnecessary as that of Alton Sterling, who was killed when already prone in a Louisiana parking lot, or Philando Castile, who was shot and killed in the driver's seat of his car a day later, the recording raises familiar questions about why cops essentially executed a man who seemed to pose little threat. The Fresno footage is not as visibly grotesque as the Facebook Live video Tuesday showing three men being shot in Virginia, but the incident suggests it's almost fortunate to go a full day without new footage emerging of people dying on camera in America.

Everyone from the tech gurus running social media sites to cops on the beat are grappling with this new reality. In fact, Fresno police chief Jerry Dyer claims he had planned to release the video on Friday, but backed off in light of the massacre of Dallas police officers at a Black Lives Matter rally a day earlier.

"Tensions are high," Dyer said at a news conference Wednesday. "In some cases, we are one spark away from a forest fire. And I pray this video doesn't serve as that spark." The department is conducting its own investigation of whether excessive force was used, focusing on the last two shots fired at Noble, and Dyer has asked the FBI to weigh in.

While no massive (or violent) protests erupted as a result of Noble's death, friends of the deceased have controversially defended the appearance of both the Confederate flag and the phrase "White Lives Matter" in his memory. Meanwhile, those who knew him are vigorously disputing the idea that Noble essentially committed suicide by cop (he can be heard yelling "I fucking hate my life" just before the first shots were fired). Friends and family point out he had a steady job and girlfriend, and cite his passion for music and a palpable love of life. At least one officer involved has reportedly said he feared for his life when Noble reached for his waistband, but rather than a gun, the teen seems to have been grasping at a plastic box. (The feds are reportedly looking into what, exactly, the object was.)

Noble's mother is seeking damages for her son's death, and his father has called out the cops for being "trigger-happy."

It seems clear at this point that grisly videos can inspire people to take action against gun violence, racial injustice, and police brutality. Then again, it's not implausible that a society confronted with an endless stream of death might become desensitized to horrific violence. Still, in a world where an increasingly large number of cops are required to record themselves, and pretty much everyone has the ability to hop on Facebook Live, the most harrowing thought is that weeks like this one may not seem all that remarkable in the future.

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