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Body camera footage and audio from a 911 call appear to show that a Virginia police officer mistook a wireless house phone for a gun, leading the deputy to shoot the Black man holding the phone multiple times.
The video and audio recordings were released late on Friday. The family of 32-year-old Isaiah Brown said he entered intensive care with ten bullet wounds after the shooting, which took place early on Wednesday in Spotsylvania County in the northeastern part of Virginia, WRC-TV reported.
Mr Brown’s lawyer, David Haynes, said in a statement: “It is evident that the tragic shooting of Isaiah Brown was completely avoidable.”
The body camera video shows an officer yelling at Mr Brown to raise his hands. The deputy then commands Mr Brown to “drop the gun” and seemingly says into his radio that “he’s got a gun to his head”.
The family of Mr Brown watched and listened to the recordings before they were released, WRIC reported.
The officer appears to say “stop walking towards me, stop walking towards me” and “stop, stop” before he discharges his gun towards the man at least seven times.
According to the 911 audio, Mr Brown was speaking to a dispatcher on the wireless house phone when the officer arrived at the scene. On the audio, the dispatcher is heard telling Mr Brown to “hold your hands up” as sirens approach.
Mr Haynes said: “The deputy in question made multiple, basic policing errors and violated established protocols. The deputy was situated nearly 50 feet from Isaiah, was never threatened and should not have discharged his weapon.”
The video and audio recordings were released after mounting pressure from the family and the Virginia ACLU.
Sheriff Roger Harris said that a special prosecutor had been appointed and recommended the release of the recordings. Mr Harris added that the deputy has been placed on administrative leave and that the investigation into the case is being led by Virginia State Police.
The family of Mr Brown told WRC-TV that the very same deputy had driven Mr Brown home from the gas station after his car broke down. Tazmon Brown told the TV station that the deputy had said that his brother wasn’t in any trouble.
Later, a 911 call was made on which Isaiah Brown can be heard saying that his brother is not allowing him to enter his mother’s room and that he can’t get into his vehicle. The dispatcher tells Mr Brown that his car is broken and has been towed.
Mr Brown then says: “Alright, give me the gun.” His brother can be heard in the background, saying “no”. The dispatcher inquires as to what is happening, to which Mr Brown says: “I’m about to kill my brother.”
“Don’t kill your brother,” the dispatcher says and asks several times if Mr Brown is armed. Mr Brown says he isn’t.
Mr Brown tells the dispatcher he’s walking down the roadway.
The dispatcher asks: “How are you walking down the road with the house phone?”
“Because I can,” Mr Brown says. A short time later, the deputy, who has not been identified, arrives on the scene. He can be heard on the 911 audio yelling at Mr Brown.
The deputy is heard giving aid to Mr Brown and telling his brother to get a first aid kit from the police vehicle.
It’s not clear if the officer knew Mr Brown had told the 911 dispatcher that he was unarmed or if he was aware that what Mr Brown was holding was a wireless house phone, the AP writes.
Mr Haynes said the family is also asking for the release of dispatch audio from the moments before the shooting took place.
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