Video of Charles Smith Jr. fatal police shooting is released
Arkansas police say they released video to push back against a "great deal of misinformation"
Arkansas police say they released video to push back against a "great deal of misinformation"
On Wednesday, the North Little Police Department released video of a teenager fatally shot by police.
Charles Smith Jr., 17, struggled with police officers after a traffic stop at around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
During a news conference Wednesday, Police Chief Mike Davis said that the police had decided to release the video in order to combat a “great deal of misinformation” about the shooting.
“I fear that misinformation gets out that says the subject wasn’t armed, that the subject didn’t shoot,” he said, according to Arkansas Online, adding “that is not the case.”
A fight with officers over a gun
According to Davis, the traffic stop was for “excessive speed” and a broken headlight. While police said that they found a small bag of marijuana and a gun on Smith during a pat-down, the pat-down was not shown on the dash-cam video.
Davis said that the officers also found a stolen gun in the driver’s side floorboard.
“[I] ain’t gonna find nothing else in here, right?” the officer says on video. “Quit reaching, partner.”
Davis said that Smith tried to “gain control” of the gun during the pat-down and tried to run. At that point, he entered the frame of the video as officers took him to the ground.
“I can’t go to jail,” Smith says in the video.
“Get your f * * king hand out,” an officer says. “It’s a f * * king gun.”
Sgt. Brian Dedrick, a Police Department spokesman, said that the officers tried to subdue Smith with a stun gun before he eventually pulled his gun from his waistband and fired, almost hitting the car’s other occupants.
One officer is then seen hitting Smith as they try to subdue him.
“[Smith] is then observed engaging the slide back on the gun and again firing at officers, almost striking one officer in the face,” the chief said.
A moment later, the police open fire and kill Smith.
“No officer wants to be put in this position, but these officers were left with no other choice but to protect their lives and return fire,” Davis said.
The incident is being investigated.
