The Death of Kershawn Geiger

On January 15, 2021, Kershawn Geiger, age 25, was shot and killed during an encounter with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Gang Suppression Unit in Carmichael, California.

Authorities say investigators were following surveillance video that they reported showed shots being fired in a crowded parking lot earlier that night. They tracked a vehicle connected to that incident and made contact with the people inside.

According to the sheriff’s office, when a detective approached Geiger’s vehicle he saw a gun and yelled “gun,” and at some point multiple shots were fired. A detective was struck by gunfire and wounded. The deputies returned fire and Geiger was hit and killed by gunfire at the scene.

A detective who was wounded was treated and is expected to recover, according to reporting.

Geiger’s family has disputed the official account of the shooting and demanded more transparency, saying they have questions about what happened and have pushed for release of evidence and clarity about the actions of deputies that night. His brother, who was in the car with him, has said he did not hear shots from inside the vehicle and does not know that Geiger fired a weapon.

Afterward, Geiger’s family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and Sacramento County alleging excessive force and lack of transparency.

An official autopsy later showed that Geiger died from multiple gunshot wounds sustained during the incident.

Because body camera footage from the encounter was not available to the public and the family questioned parts of the sheriff’s narrative, the case has remained a subject of dispute and legal action