Newly released video footage of a July police-involved shooting that left a man paralyzed contradicts officers’ claims that he threatened them with a weapon, the man’s lawyer said.
The Huffington Post reports that dash-cam footage shows a Fort Worth officer shoot David Collie just seconds after the law enforcement officials emerges from his car. At the same time, a Tarrant County sheriff’s deputy can be seen pointing a flashlight at Collie.
The police were responding to reports that two shirtless Black men had robbed a gas station. They reportedly became suspicious of Collie because he matched the general description.
But Washington said his client was just walking to a friend’s home. The officers allege that Collie initially ducked down behind a bush when they appeared and attempted to flee while ignoring commands to stop and remove his hands from his pocket.
A box cutter was retrieved from the scene, but no gun. Washington said the box cutter was not Collie’s. He also argues that the video footage shows that Collie never threatened the officers and had actually complied with orders to lift his arms.
Fort Worth police Sgt. Marc Povero said that department officials reviewed the footage “immediately after the incident†and determined that the officers’ description of what transpired matched the video.
A department review of the shooting is complete but its findings are private. The Fort Worth officer has returned to duty.
Collie was hospitalized for two months. He was initially charged with aggravated assault on a public servant. The case has since been thrown out.
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