Video shows Fresno police kill man wielding knife. His brother questioned deadly force

Thaddeus Miller
·2 min read
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Fresno police released body-worn camera footage Friday of officers fatally shooting a man, whose brother has questioned the need for deadly force.

Three officers fired what appeared to be five or six rounds March 18, killing Coy Jackson, 33, who was wielding a knife and not responding to commands from police, the video shows.

The video released Friday has been edited by police to include graphics and descriptive captions, and can be seen on the department’s YouTube page.

Police said Jackson wielded a Bowie knife and approached officers about 11 p.m. March 18 near a police substation at Fresno and B streets, not far from a Food 4 Less.

A sergeant and an officer approached Jackson after exiting patrol cars, video shows, and began ordering him to show his hands and get on the ground.

Police Chief Paco Balderrama has previously said officers thought Jackson was acting suspicious because there was no reason for a civilian to be hanging around a substation gate in the Kearney Palms shopping center.

Coy Jackson, 33, was identified Monday, March 20, 2023, as the knife-wielding man shot and killed by Fresno officers, police said.
Coy Jackson, 33, was identified Monday, March 20, 2023, as the knife-wielding man shot and killed by Fresno officers, police said.

Jackson can be heard telling officers he had a knife. An image from police showed the knife was about 11 inches long including the handle.

He walked across the parking lot as officers continued their commands.

A corporal from inside the substation also joined the other officers at some point during the interaction, police said. She can be seen towards the end of the video.

Police said Jackson made a quick movement before the officers opened fire. Jackson died at the hospital, police said.

Jason Jackson, left, is seen in an undated photograph with his brother Coy Jackson, who was killed after he reportedly confronted three Fresno police officers with a knife March 18.
Jason Jackson, left, is seen in an undated photograph with his brother Coy Jackson, who was killed after he reportedly confronted three Fresno police officers with a knife March 18.

The man’s brother, Jason Jackson, has said Coy Jackson never hurt anyone in his 33 years.

While sympathetic to the difficulties faced by police officers, he doubted shooting his brother was the only option, Jackson said in an interview days after the incident.

“I definitely think some non-lethal means could have been used,” Jackson said in March.

The U.S. Army veteran said his brother struggled with mental health issues and was in and out of halfway houses.

“He believed someone was trying to kill him ... trying to kill us (his family). He was hearing voices. He felt his life amounted to nothing,” he said.

Balderrama said on the day of the shooting the video shows officers attempted to de-escalate the encounter.

“The officers communicated with him and tried to de-escalate and, at some point, this civilian started approaching the officers, made some movements that were aggressive and they were forced to discharge their weapons,” Balderrama said the day of the shooting.

Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.
Fresno Police investigate an officer-involved shooting near the department’s substation on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The man later died at the hospital.