Photo: Getty Images
Newly-released body camera footage shows the events surrounding the fatal shooting of Alonzo Bagley, an unarmed Black man, by a Shreveport, Louisiana police officer, who was arrested on Thursday (February 16), per CNN.
Bagley, 43, was killed on February 3 after two Shreveport officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at an apartment. According to Louisiana state police, Bagley jumped down an apartment balcony, attempting to flee upon the officers' arrival, and was shot by Alexander Tyler after a brief foot chase.
Bagley's family reviewed police footage of the fatal shooting on Thursday before it was released to the public. The footage includes video from both officers' body-worn cameras.
In the footage, Bagley refuses to comply with officers' orders to step outside of his home before Tyler's fatal shot is heard.
“Oh no! Oh, God, you shot me,” Bagley says as he falls to the ground.
According to state police, Tyler "inadvertently" turned his camera off as he shot Bagley in the chest and turned it back on "within one second" after opening fire. Body camera footage shows that Bagley's hands were up in the split second after the lethal shot.
Police administered first aid, but Bagley was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Following Thursday's arrest, Tyler is facing charges of negligent homicide. His attorney, Dhu Thompson, said he hopes the footage is investigated “thoroughly and a decision is made based on facts and evidence.”
“Officers are always faced on a day-to-day basis with dangerous situations like that and at times where they have to make split-second decisions where they’re in a potential life-threatening situation,” Thompson said. “The mere fact that an argument is being made by the investigator in court that he was unarmed does not necessarily mean that he is not a threat to the officer.”
After watching the police footage, Xavier Sudds, Bagley’s brother, told CNN that the 43-year-old's “hands were up” at the time of the shooting.
“He was not threatening in any kind of way,” Sudds said.
“That’s just from not understanding… why did a domestic call turn deadly?” he continued. “I think at this point, the only thing I’m wondering is just, you know, the procedure, the procedure. Why did it happen like it happened?”
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