Video footage of a recent incident in Vallejo raises questions about whether the police officer was justified in firing his weapon at a suspected carjacker.

A resident of the neighborhood where the July 8 shooting took place, Claire White, shared surveillance footage of the incident with the department and with elected officials. The videos show the officer shooting at least three times as the man attempts to run away. The man was not hit by any of the shots.

The video, which White also shared with The Chronicle, shows Victor Hurtado, 32, of Napa County, running near the intersection of Santa Clara and Alabama streets at about 4 p.m. on July 8.

The officer stops, about 40 to 50 feet from Hurtado, and fires his gun several times while Hurtado is running. The officer then continues to jog after him as Hurtado turns a corner. Shortly after Hurtado turns, the officer stops chasing him.

Hurtado was not injured in the incident and was arrested shortly after.

White, a criminal defense attorney, gave the footage to the Vallejo Police Department, mayor, City Council members and the city attorney.

According to an “independent witness,” Hurtado was armed at the time of the carjacking and when police first pursued him, said Lt. Kent Tribble of the Vallejo Police Department.

No gun, however, was recovered by police after Hurtado’s arrest, Tribble said.

In the video, Hurtado does not appear to be holding a weapon. The department is also reviewing video from a body camera worn by the officer involved, police said.

Hurtado and David Plancarte, 20, also of Napa County, were booked at the Solano County Jail, where they both remain, on charges of carjacking and parole violation, police said.

Hurtado is also facing charges of resisting arrest and battery, according to the jail booking log. His bail is set at $25,000.

The “general guideline” for officers is to discharge their weapons only when there is an imminent threat of great bodily harm, said Tribble.

“You don’t have to wait for someone to pull their gun on you for that to be your perception,” Tribble said. “Action beats reaction, that’s been proven many times over.”

Additionally, Tribble said officers have to assess the “totality of the circumstances.”

In this case, the victim of the carjacking was battered and Hurtado was running with a weapon that could have been used against the officer or result in a hostage situation, Tribble said.

The officer is on administrative leave pending an investigation, which is standard protocol. The Police Department declined to release his name and how many years he has been on the force.

White, who lives near the intersection where the shooting occurred, said she obtained the footage from her neighbor’s security cameras.

Though, she was not home at the time of the incident, White said her husband and two sons, ages 8 and 9, were home.

Her husband “texted me immediately, terrified basically, saying that there was gunshots outside and there were cops everywhere,” White said. “He dragged the kids to the back of the house and there were cops with assault weapons walking outside.”

On Tuesday, White sent the video footage to the Police Department and elected officials, and she outlined her concerns that evening at a City Council meeting.

“I don’t live in a rich neighborhood. Our area is very, very heavily policed. And things like this need to be addressed,” White said. “If police believed it was justified force, I want to hear them say that so we can have an open discussion about what that means.”

Since the City Council meeting, White said, she received an email from the city attorney, Claudia Quintana, which included a police statement that described who the suspects were, and that the officer involved is on leave while the incident is investigated.

White has litigated use of force and police misconduct cases against the Vallejo Police Department in the past. She said there needs to be more accountability with police officers, especially in Vallejo.

Police “are supposed to be witnesses; they’re not judge, jury and executioner,” she said.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani