Stockon police officer fatally fires 30 rounds at grandmother fleeing scene

Tracy Gaeta Shot And Killed After California Cop Fires 30 Rounds Into Her Car

Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty

We would ask how it is that police officers continually show their wanton lack of respect for the rules that govern them and the laws of human decency but we already know the answer. Sadly, the boys and girls in blue show us day after day that they are incompetent and that incompetency is a matter of life and death when it comes to Black folks.

According to an NBCNews report, a police officer in Stockton, California named Kyle Ribera emptied and reloaded his service weapon multiple times as he fired round after round after round into 54-year-old grandmother Tracy Gaeta’s car. When the smoke cleared, Gaeta’s windshield was laced with bullet holes and she was hit numerous times which ultimately resulted in her death. Video footage of the shooting was released to the public back on April 7 and there is a growing outcry for Ribera to be held criminally accountable.

That video is below. It is very disturbing. Please consider your mental health before watching.

Gaeta drove into a police vehicle at a red light and fled the scene while being chased by a K-9 unit. Once she was trapped by a dead-end street, she reversed her car and hit Ribera’s vehicle. It was at this time that he fired 18 shots according to the body camera video. He then reloaded his service pistol and fired more shots. As Gaeta attempted to flee, Ribera again reloaded his weapon and fired even MORE shots.

In 2019, the Stockton PD adopted a policy of not “generally” firing at moving vehicles as it can be more dangerous than helpful in apprehending a suspect. That clearly didn’t happen here. Ribera was placed on a 3-day administrative leave before coming back to work.