Baltimore Police release officer body cam video of police shooting that killed 27-year-old man
BALTIMORE -- Four Baltimore police officers fired 36 rounds the day they killed 27-year-old Hunter Jessup.
The Baltimore Police Department released on Friday the body-worn camera footage of the police shooting that killed Jessup. The deadly shooting occurred in the 2600 block of Wilkens Avenue on Nov. 7.
WJZ was one of the news organizations that watched police body-worn camera footage recorded during the foot chase that took place before Jessup was killed.
Jessup had been standing on Brunswick Street around 12:30 p.m. that day when officers attempted to interact with him. He then allegedly took off on Wilkens Avenue.
The chase went eastbound on Wilkens Avenue before it ended in tragedy.
Baltimore Police Chief Richard Worley said during a press conference following the shooting that one of his officers tried to tackle Jessup but fell onto some stairs. It was at that point that Jessup pointed a gun at the officer, police said.
"There you can see the firearm in his right hand with the extended magazine," Dept. Commissioner Brian Nadeau said during a screening of the body-worn camera footage.
Police say that Jessup discharged his weapon, firing at least one shot in the direction of the officers. The Maryland Office of the Attorney General has said that ballistics indicates Jessup fired his gun during the altercation, too.
That's when multiple officers discharged their weapons, Worley said.
Their bullets struck Jessup and fatally injured him. It took about a minute and a half for officers to begin rendering aid to the injured man, according to authorities.
He was pronounced dead at Shock Trauma.
Jessup's family and friends have been demanding to see what happened the day he died.
The body-worn camera footage will show people where the stop-and-frisk started and how it turned into a deadly shooting, Jelevon Nolley said during a vigil for his friend that was held on Nov. 11.
"We need this body camera footage," Nolley said. "We need the body camera footage."
Jessup's family was shown the body-worn camera footage on Thursday, police said.
That footage shows Nolley lifting his shirt. Outside of the frame, officers said they noticed something in Jessup's pants. That's when he reportedly took off on Wilkens Avenue
Nolley said he was related to Jessup and rattled by the death of his loved one.
"They shot my brother 17 times. It's my brother," Nolley said. "I'm with him every day."
Worley defended the number of bullets that his officers fired at Jessup on the day of his death.
"We are firing to shoot to incapacitate until that person is no longer a threat to our officers or the public," Worley said.
All of the officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave per department policy, according to authorities.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division is investigating the shooting.
