Kansas – Dashcam video released Tuesday by Johnson County law enforcement officials shows in detail how the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old John Albers unfolded on Jan. 20.
The video was released in edited form at a press conference in which Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said the shooting was justified and no charges would be filed against the Overland Park officer who shot Albers.
But while Howe and Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez said they thought the officer’s actions were not unreasonable, the release of the video touched off intense interest and debate among the public.
Members of the public continued to view the video and discuss it late into the day Tuesday. The Star has posted online a version of the video that includes two different views of the shooting from cameras mounted on police vehicles on either side of the Albers home.
This is what is known about the events shown in the 4-minute, 10-second video:
0:00 – 0:45: The video begins by showing the view through a police vehicle windshield as it drives toward the Albers home at 9300 block of West 149th Terrace. Police had been dispatched to the home about 5:35 p.m. on a report that Albers, who was home alone, was suicidal.
0:45: The Albers home comes into view. The family minivan, a Honda Odyssey, is backing out of the garage into the driveway with Albers at the wheel.
An Overland Park police officer stands to the rear of the van and fires two shots at it. An officer in the vehicle with the camera shouts.
Howe said investigators could not determine if Albers was killed by those first two shots, or the subsequent shots.
The van pauses and then continues backing down the driveway past the police officer, making a U-turn in reverse back toward the house.
0:52: An officer shouts “Stop the car!” At the same time, another police vehicle pulls up to the entrance of the driveway.
The officer shoots at the van 11 more times. Another officer runs toward the driveway. One of the officers shouts “Shots fired! Shots fired!”
0:58: The van rolls forward into the street. One of the officers shouts “Stop! Stop, John, stop the car! (expletive)”
1:02: The van rolls across the street into a neighbor’s front yard.
1:04: An officer speaks into his radio. “(inaudible) Shots fired, he’s down, we need medical ASAP.” Other officers run to the van.
1:12: An officer talks to Albers. “John, John, John, John. God damn it! Glove up, glove up!”
An officer says “John.”
1:20: An officer continues talking to Albers. “John, are you all right? Ah, (expletive).
1:25: Two officers walk away from the van toward the street. There is some crosstalk, and one officer asks another “Are you OK?”
Another video, taken from a dash cam in a vehicle parked on the opposite side of the Albers home, begins before the shooting, starting at 1:30 in the composite video posted by The Star.
1:30-1:47: Two officers arrive first and walk up to the house. They discuss hearing a dog barking inside.
2:27: One of the officers walks back down toward the street. The other remains at the front of the house.
“That’s his mom,” one of the officers says. In fact, a concerned adult friend had arrived.
2:45: An officer talks to the woman about getting Albers’ phone number.
2:53: The officer at the front of the house walks into the driveway as the garage door opens.
3:03: The officer is behind the van, slightly to the right. The van starts backing out of the garage toward the officer. The officer shouts “Stop!” three times while stepping backward down the driveway and into the grass.
3:05: The officer pulls his gun and fires twice.
3:06: The van briefly stops in the driveway.
3:07: The van continues backing down the driveway and the officer steps to his right to avoid the van. The van makes a U-Turn in reverse into the yard.
3:11: Another police vehicle pulls up to the driveway.
3:13: An officer shouts “Stop the car!” The shooting officer, in the driveway again, fires 11 more times at the van as it backs up through the yard toward the house.
3:16: The van starts to roll forward. An officer shouts “Stop! Stop, John, stop the car! (expletive)”
3:20: The van rolls across the street into another front yard. Several officers run to the van.
3:37: An officer says “John, John, John, John. (inaudible) Glove up, glove up!”
3:45: “Hey, deep breaths, man,” one officer says to another. “Deep breaths.
3:50: Two officers walk away from the van. “Come here, buddy, come over here,” one officer says.
4:04: An officer says, “I thought he was going to run me over, man.” Another officer answers, “I know.”
Source: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article201229459.html