Audio and video recordings FAC demanded the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department release helped journalists shed new light on how deputies tasked with rescuing a teenage girl ended up killing her.
In September 2022, one or more San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed Savannah Graziano, a 15-year-old girl they were tasked with rescuing. The shooting came by the side of a Southern California freeway after a prolonged pursuit and shootout with her father, Anthony Graziano, who authorities say killed his estranged wife and was suspected of kidnapping Savannah.
FAC’s advocacy was instrumental in forcing the sheriff to disclose videos of the incident in March 2024. The disclosure led to extensive press coverage documenting that the videos contradicted the sheriff’s statements about the shooting.
But the public still did not have access to the full story. The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, but it did not release its report until late March 2025.
Independent journalist Joey Scott, who had requested the videos, sent a request to the Department on December 6, 2024, seeking disclosure of all incident reports and coroner’s reports that the Department had gathered during its investigation, as well as the names of officers involved in the incident.
Given the amount of time since the shooting, the Department had no legal grounds to withhold the records under California’s police transparency laws, which allow temporary withholding under limited circumstances, none of which now exist in this case.
Nonetheless, the Department denied Scott’s request because its investigation was ongoing. It cited the “catchall” exemption of the California Public Records Act, which sometimes allows an agency to withhold records if “on the facts of the particular case the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record.”
Representing Scott, FAC demanded on February 5, 2025 that the Department grant Scott’s request or face a lawsuit to compel disclosure. As FAC explained, the catchall exemption cannot be used to contradict the Legislature’s express mandate to disclose the records within 45 days of Scott’s request.
Under threat of litigation, the Department agreed on February 18, 2025, to release the requested records, with certain redactions. It also disclosed the names of 22 officers who had discharged their firearms during the entire incident, as well as the names of eight “officer witnesses.” This was the first time the names of those officers have been disclosed, although California law has long mandated such disclosure.
“First Amendment Coalition has been instrumental in getting the records released after being wrongfully denied their disclosure. The records will now allow me to accurately and thoroughly report on the tragic police shooting of Savannah Graziano. Public records are regularly withheld by police departments across the state using the same unfounded exemptions. Journalists should not have to fight police departments and other public agencies this hard to get them to follow public records law,” said journalist Joey Scott about the release.
“It shouldn’t take a threat of litigation to compel disclosure of records about the killing of a civilian by law enforcement officers, but I am glad the Department of Justice withdrew its unfounded denial and agreed to release the documents. When officers shoot at people or kill them, the public has a right to the full story, not just the official story,” said David Loy, FAC’s legal director.