A lawyer for Feast’s household, Ben Crump, says footage portrays ‘a defenceless man who was shot within the again’.
Police in a Houston suburb launched body-camera footage Monday of an officer fatally capturing a Black man within the again, although key moments of the night-time encounter have been lacking or obscured.
The footage launched by the La Marque Police Division doesn’t embody audio for the primary 30 seconds, together with the second that Officer Jose Santos shot 22-year-old Joshua Feast.
It exhibits Feast working from Santos, who has his weapon prolonged and exhibits Feast mendacity on the bottom, wounded, whereas Santos yells: “Present me your arms” 3 times.
The video doesn’t present a muzzle flash from Santos’ gun, however an impartial post-mortem launched final week by a lawyer for Feast’s household, Ben Crump, discovered that Feast died from a gunshot wound to the again.
“This footage portrays one factor: A defenseless man was shot within the again when he had not disobeyed a single lawful command and posed no menace to the officer,” Crump stated in an announcement on Monday.
Police stated in a information launch that officers’ physique cameras buffer for the primary 30 seconds after they’re turned on, inflicting the lacking audio.
The footage doesn’t present Feast holding a gun, although Santos could be heard after the capturing saying over police radio that Feast had dropped one on the bottom. Police stated they discovered two weapons on the scene, not together with Santos’ service weapon.
“We all know our group has questions,” police Chief Kirk Jackson stated within the information launch.
“We’re releasing data as quickly as we’re ready whereas sustaining the integrity of the investigation and complying with our authorized obligations. We ask for continued endurance because the investigation unfolds. Our condolences, ideas and prayers stay with the household and associates of Joshua Feast.”
Jackson beforehand stated that Feast was an individual of curiosity in a number of latest shootings.