St. Louis Police Release Footage of Antonio Martin Fatal Shooting

Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned

St. Louis County police released footage on Wednesday evening they said shows 18-year-old Antonio Martin pulling a gun on an officer before being shot and killed, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The footage was taken from three different security cameras at the Berkeley, Missouri gas station where Martin encountered the unidentified officer.

However, the officer did not record the incident on either his dashboard camera or a body camera provided to him.

“He said he clipped it somewhere in the car, didn’t put it on, and next thing you know you’re here,” Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference.

The officer’s dashboard camera was not functioning at the time of the shooting, officials said, because it requires the patrol vehicle’s emergency lights to be running to do so.

The Huffington Post reported that Mayor Theodore Hoskins said he was not concerned that the officer was not using his cameras, saying the department was not used to the technology.

“In the future and when we get well trained, there will be a severe penalty for an officer who does not turn [their body camera] on,” he said. One security camera, “Camera 29,” shows the encounter from a distance.

Martin and a second man were approached by the officer in connection with a robbery at the store. The video cuts off with a man, identified by police as Martin, with his arm extended.

The second camera, listed as “Camera 26,” captures a partial view of the incident. The second man can be seen backing away from the officer, while Martin pulls something out and points it at the officer. The other man is then seen running into the store.

The third camera shows the officer stumbling back after firing. He then runs across the gas station to wait for backup after dropping his own gun.

Source: shredoftruth.com
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