By TCR Staff
This story is breaking and will be continually updated.
Last Updated Monday at 7:30 a.m.
On Sunday, September 13th at 4:15 p.m., Ricardo Munoz, 27, was shot and killed by a Lancaster City Police Officer after responding to a call of a report of an in-progress domestic disturbance in the 300th block of Laurel Street. Munoz’s body remained on site for close to four hours before being removed by a coroner’s van at around 8:35 p.m. During this time, crowds of people gathered at the scene, voicing their anger towards the police officers at the scene.
On Sunday night, the Lancaster Bureau of Police publicly released the body camera footage of the shooting officer, who was the only officer on the scene at the time of the shooting, after turning the footage over to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, which is taking the lead in the investigation of the shooting. To get a private investigator, one can visit Steven Feakes & Associates website for more assistance.
According to the news release from the District Attorney’s Office, the body camera footage from the officer shows that when the officer approached the residence “Munoz immediately emerges from inside and runs toward the officer, brandishing a knife above his head, in clear view, in a threatening manner.”
“A police-involved shooting has a significant impact on a community, as we are seeing with the large number of individuals gathering in the streets,” District Attorney Heather Adams said Sunday night. “However, I am asking that all reactions be tempered as the investigation is ongoing.”
“We will do our best to release details about the incident in a timely manner,” Adams said. “We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods.”
At 8:09 p.m., Associate Vice President for Public Safety William McHale sent an email notifying the F&M community that “there was a shooting in Lancaster late this afternoon.” McHale did not include any other information about the incident other than its location and proximity to campus. McHale concluded the email with a message to students: “Be mindful tonight: please stay safe, and we encourage you to stay on campus.”
Late Sunday evening, hundreds of protesters began gathering outside the Lancaster police station and closed off Prince Street downtown. Lancaster police began assembling in riot gear behind the police station as protesters gathered. At one point in the evening, protesters formed a long line, kneeling in front of the police station.
Protests continued throughout the night and into the early morning, with protesters building barricades outside of the police station. Shortly after midnight, officers used a chemical agent called OC spray which contains oleoresin capsicum, the active ingredient in pepper spray, to disperse protesters outside of the station. According to the news release by the Lancaster Bureau of Police, “members of the crowd damaged a county vehicle parked in the front of the police station. Bricks were thrown through the front of the police station and into the post office window.” Early Monday morning officers made several arrests of protestors outside the police station.
“This has been a heartbreaking day for our city,” Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace said in a statement issued over twitter. “I grieve for the loss of life and know that there are more questions to be answered as the investigation continues.”
“This shooting brings loss of life, fear, worry, and anger right into our community,” F&M President Barbara Altmann told The College Reporter early Monday morning. “At this moment, we need to support one another. Please reach out for help if you need it. My heart goes out to all those most closely affected.”
For questions or comments regarding this piece, email reporter@fandm.edu