Raw body camera footage obtained by Law&Crime shows a sheriff’s deputy shooting a man who allegedly decapitated his own parents, Ronald Gerdvil, 77, and Antoinette Gerdvil, 79.
“Get on the ground right now!” the official demanded, gun drawn, of the suspect, Joseph Brandon Gerdvil, 42. Gerdvil, as seen on video, walked off the sidewalk and into the middle of the street to confront the deputy. He showed no signs of stopping as the deputy opened fire.
Despite being shot, he asked officials to kill him while singing Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” and Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in California, Gerdvil’s cousin called 911 on July 9, 2024, after receiving pictures of “elderly relatives” who appeared to be “severely injured.”
According to authorities, the family member stated that Gerdvil suffered from mental health issues and had previously been violent.
The dispatcher said Gerdvil was also seen covered in blood, chasing a maintenance worker with a fork, and driving a golf cart near condos.
According to the body camera footage, a deputy encountered Gerdvil in the street about 20 minutes later.
The official immediately stopped his patrol vehicle and demanded at gunpoint that Gerdvil get down. The suspect, holding an object, did not stop and instead walked determinedly toward the official.
The gunshots are audible. Gerdvil falls to the ground. The deputy who shot him demanded he lie on his stomach. Gerdil did. Responding deputies provided medical attention.
“I love you,” Gerdvil said as officers handcuffed his hands behind his back, but later told them to “finish me off.”
As the video progressed, he began singing the mentioned songs.
“I just called to say I love you,” he said as he lay on his side, bleeding.
Authorities accuse him of severing Ronald and Antoinette Gerdvil’s heads, leaving one on a counter, mutilating their dog, and fleeing the scene in a golf cart.
According to online court records, he pleaded not guilty to murder charges. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. He is currently incarcerated in the Central Men’s Jail.
