SANTA MARIA - The video is from a security camera in a building near the shooting scene and was used by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department in its official investigation of the shooting last January.
The black and white security camera video is grainy and dark and was captured from a camera mounted inside a business near the intersection of McElhanny and North Broadway where the Covarrubias shooting took place.
The upper left corner of the screen reveals the developments leading up to the shooting that took place as Officer Albert Covrarrubias Jr. was on duty and was breaking down a DUI checkpoint stop.
The video shows what appears to be the flashing light of a police car, then the emergency of several dark figures on camera.
The video shows what appears to be a scuffle between individuals with at least one person falling to the ground.
Eventually we see more flashing lights of police cars arriving on the scene and then officers putting out the familiar yellow crime scene tape around the location of the shooting.
The security camera video was also used by the County District Attorney's office in conducting its own investigation before ruling in June that shooting of Officer Covarrubias was justified and lawful.
The DA's investigation determined Officer Covarrubias was about to be arrested by fellow officers for having sex with a 17 year old girl and Police Explorer Scout when he resisted arrest, scuffled with the officers and fired his revolver several times.
Fellow Officer Matt Klein, who was working the DUI checkpoint with Covarrubias that night and was his best friend on the force and the Best Man at his wedding, returned fire hitting Covarrubias in the neck with what proved to be fatal rounds.
