San Bernardino

Officer Shoots and Kills Man in Confrontation That Was Caught on Video Outside a Liquor Store

Police say the man was reaching for a weapon when the officer opened fire outside King Tut Liquor store in San Bernardino.

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A police officer fatally shot a man outside a liquor store in San Bernardino following a confrontation late Thursday night that was caught on video.

The shooting happened outside King Tut Liquor Store near the corner of Baseline and Waterman Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. Police initially responded to a report of a man jumping on cars in the store's parking lot.

Officers arrived and encountered the man outside the store. An officer tried to prevent the man from entering the store, which was open with customers and employees inside, according to police.

That's when a fight broke out, police said.

The video appears to show one officer on top of a man as they wrestle facedown on the ground near the liquor store entrance. At one point, the man got up and attempted to retrieve a weapon from his pocket, police said.

The officer opened fire at that point and struck the man, identified as 35-year-old Matthew Bender, multiple times.

An earlier report indicated Bender died at the scene, but police later said he died at a hospital. A firearm was recovered at the scene, police said.

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The officer was wearing a body-worn camera. That video had yet to be downloaded early Friday, police said.

A witness says she watched the entire scuffle unfold and was in disbelief.

"The dude started coming and he started fighting that dude. That dude tried to get up and then all we heard was just 'bam' 'bam' 'bam'... the police shot that man."

Additional officers arrived within minutes. The shooting drew a small crowd of people.

NBCLA's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

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