Bodycam video shows man point gun at Raynham police officers
RAYNHAM - Police bodycam video shows the moments before officers shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them in Raynham on Tuesday.
They had just knocked on the door to apartment 22. Three body cameras on three Raynham police officers showing three perspectives when Stephen Maclean answered the door, drew his gun, and pointed it directly at them.
The video stops before shots are fired but authorities say two officers fired their guns, another fired a Taser. Maclean was shot in the doorway. The video was released with no audio and the officers' faces are blurred.
The three officers rendered immediate aid, but the 35-year-old died at the hospital.
"A second at most" to respond
"Those officers clearly were thinking very quickly. They responded very quickly when presented with a very serious threat," said Tom Nolan, who has about three decades of experience in law enforcement.
Nolan points out one officer already had his Taser drawn before Maclean opened the door, a sign officers knew of a potential threat. Authorities say they had just been called to the apartment the day before.
"I commend them for their ability to meet the situation as quickly as they did," Nolan said. "It appears as though there was a second at most in which they had to respond."
Police say a call from Maclean's girlfriend brought them to the King Phillip Apartments Tuesday afternoon. She was concerned for his well-being after he was allegedly fired earlier in the day for showing up to work drunk.
During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, the district attorney detailed what happened inside, calling it "a tragedy."
"On the bodycam and pointing the gun right at them," said Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III.
One day later, Quinn's office released the video to back it up. A swift move toward transparency.
"This should be the norm in officer involved shooting incidents to allay any concerns that the public might have about the propriety of the use of force," Nolan said.
Police say Maclean never fired his gun and the officers were not injured.
Officers placed on leave after shooting
Sgt. Frank Pacheco and Officer Jennifer Lang, both 12-year veterans of the Raynham Police Department, were placed on administrative leave per the department's policies and procedures.
The district attorney says the investigation into the shooting remains active and ongoing.
