Family of Indian American Teen Shot Dead in California Seek Transparency

The family of an Indian American teenager, who was wanted on a felony firearms possession warrant and was killed on April 5 by police officers in Fremont, California, after he allegedly fired at them, seek transparency about the incident.

The Fremont Police Department released a report on April 19 saying that Nathaniel ‘Nathan’ Prasad, 18 years, had pointed a gun at the police officers. He was shot by seven Fremont police officers near a traffic stop at Fremont Boulevard and Nicolet Avenue the evening of April 5, East Bay Times reported.

A resident of Hayward, California, he was wanted on a felony firearms possession warrant, a felony probation warrant, and a misdemeanor evading arrest warrant for fleeing from a Fremont school resource officer on March 22.

“Two patrol officers responded to the area, activated their emergency lights and siren, and stopped the suspect vehicle. The driver of the vehicle stopped and Prasad fled from the right passenger side of the car on foot,” the police report stated. One of the police officers followed the 18-year-old.

“Prasad pulled a firearm from his waist area and it appears that he fired one to two shots in the direction of the officer. The officer drew his duty weapon, returned fire and broadcast over the police radio that the suspect had a gun,” the police report added. The police said that this interaction was captured on video surveillance and was corroborated by statements of the involved officer and witnesses at the scene.

Prasad started running again away from the police officers and at one point used his firearm again to fire at the police. “In response to Prasad’s fire, officers shot in the direction of Prasad, striking him several times, causing him to fall,” according to the police report. On the ground, Prasad still had the weapon in his hand and officers fired additional rounds,” the report stated.

The six officers involved in the incident have all been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the police report. Meanwhile, the family of the high-school graduate called for transparency from authorities.

“We keep seeing what’s written about him and it does not seem to fit how he was,” said Prasad’s father, Danny Prasad. He said that his son graduated from high school after independent study and was “waiting for his gown” while looking at colleges.

“The police, they’re saying ‘These are the type of people we need to take off the streets,’ and all those other hurtful comments,” Danny Prasad said adding, “He was just a scared little kid.” A civil rights lawyer John Burris, who has been hired by the family, said that the police video of the incident should be released to the family.