Body cam footage shows police-involved shooting in Annandale

The Fairfax County Police Department on Aug. 26 released the body-worn camera footage from the non-fatal officer-involved shooting in Annandale last month. Watch the footage on YouTube.

The video shows two officers looking for and capturing Nehemia Fuentes Banegas, 26, of Annandale, a suspect in a domestic violence incident, in a wooded area between Americana Drive and the beltway sound barrier.

As officers searched the area, the video shows Fuentes Banegas reaching out from a heavy bush, grabbing an officer’s firearm, and attempting to disarm him. The officer, 2nd Lt. Edwin Pastora, a 12-year veteran assigned to the K9 Unit, discharged his firearm, grazing the suspect’s shoulder, while a second officer simultaneously deployed his taser.

At that point, the suspect had his hand wrapped around the firearm, and Pastora intentionally fired his weapon because he found himself in a “life-threatening situation,” said FCPD Chief Kevin Davis at a media briefing. “That gun could have been in possession of the suspect in a microsecond.” 

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As Fuentes Banegas was cuffed, he told the officers he wished they would have hit him. “That’s an indication of self-harm,” meaning he was probably aiming for “suicide by cop,” Davis said.

Fuentes Banegas was charged with Attempted Disarming of a Law Enforcement Officer.

The incident began at 10 a.m. on July 28 when officers responded to a domestic situation at a residence in the 7000 block of Sutter Lane. A woman had called 911 saying her husband assaulted her and was armed with two knives. The suspect dropped the knives as he fled; they were later recovered by the police.

The police helicopter pinpointed a heat source that was presumed to be where Fuentes Banegas was hiding. The police established a perimeter and sent two K-9 officers and a dog to find the suspect. “I applaud our officers for really methodically searching for this person,” Davis said.

The two officers are back to full duty, he said, because the non-fatal shooting was in compliance with FCPD policy and was lawful.