Video shows white police officers shooting black teenager in back as he attempts to run away in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS: A black teenager, suspected of robbery, was fatally shot in the back while trying to run away by two white Colorado Springs police officers, new surveillance video shows.
The police claim that an officer shot 19-year-old De'Von Bailey after he reached for a weapon.
However, the police have not elaborated on the shooting and a pending investigation by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office is going on.
As per the video posted by The Gazette, Bailey can be seen running away from two officers who enter the frame with their guns out. Bailey quickly falls onto his side and is seen leaning on his left arm. The officers then proceed to run up to him with their guns still drawn, roll him on his stomach and cuff his hands behind his back.
Around a minute later, another officer arrives on the scene and drops an object onto the ground. He then kneels down and appears to help the others remove Bailey's shirt. Around four minutes after the shooting, officers roll Bailey onto his back and one starts chest compressions. A firetruck is seen arriving a couple of minutes later, blocking out the view of the surveillance camera.
Bailey's death had resulted in more than 60 people protesting on Monday outside the police department headquarters. The Gazette reported that the surveillance footage which is 11 minutes long had been captured by a camera which was a few blocks from the scene of a reported robbery. The video footage has no audio.
The police said in a statement that they had spoken with a robbery victim who had identified two suspects. Officers contacted two men nearby and one man reached for a weapon, the statement revealed.
Bailey's cousin, Lawrence Stoker, shared with FOX31 that he was the other suspect in the robbery call and was present at the time Bailey was shot.
"He got shot at least three, four times," Stoker revealed. He also added that they had not robbed anyone and Bailey had not reached for a gun. Instead, Bailey had tried to run away.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers has asked for patience while the investigation continues.
"We know that there can be frustration with the time this takes, but we cannot compromise the investigation by failing to spend the appropriate time gathering the facts; that would serve no one," Suthers said.