Since 2000, 8 people have died at the hands of the Modesto Police Department. The majority have been people of color, (police have only been hurt in one incident with a jewel theif, and sustained only small injuries), and have all taken part in Modesto's poorer areas. The most recent victim of the Modesto Police Department has been Sammy Galvan, who was shot to death in August 2004. Police responded to a domestic disturbance call in which Sammy and his girlfriend had been fighting, and Sammy according to police came out with a small Swiss Army knife. According to the two police officers, he attacked them, (although no officers were hurt), and Sammy was then shot in the chest, and then died. But neighbors tell a very different story, according to a Modesto Bee article in August 26th, 2004. "They came out of the car. They saw him there. He just sat there, and all of a sudden they shoot him," Tony Martinez said. Galvan was holding a small Buck pocketknife, Martinez said, but made no threatening moves at all: "This guy was standing there in one spot." According to Tony, about 15-10 people watched the event happen, although police claim there were hardly any onlookers. A community protest has been planned for January 15th in Modesto. More info here.