Video of fatal police shooting released by OKC
Newly r el eased vi deos of a deadly police shooting s how an Oklahoma City police sergeant firing the fatal shot from a distance as the Black man ran from officers in a parking lot.
Sgt. Clifford Holman, 36, is charged with first-degree manslaughter for shooting Bennie Edwards in the back on Dec. 11.
The shooting came months after video of t he death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota brought an ongoing national reckoning over issues of race and the role of police in society.
It sparked more protests in Oklahoma City and calls for the firing of Police Chief Wade Gourley.
“The continued mistreatment of Black men at the hands of police officers is a national tragedy, and the decision to charge one of the officers reflects the gravity of the situation,” an attorney for Edwards' family said Thursday.
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater filed the felony charge Thursday. The prosecutor released videos of the shooting to The Oklahoman and the online news site NonDoc on Friday.
The district attorney released three officers' body camera videos to The Oklahoman after police at first refused to make them public yet. He also released one officer' s personal dash camera video. Police late Friday afternoon also released the bodycam videos.
The videos show Master Sgt. Keith Duroy and another officer, Michael Smith, trying to talk to Edwards outside an Oklahoma City pawn shop and beauty shop. Edwards, who was mentally ill, is holding a knife.
When Holman arrives, he begins yelling at Edwards immediately.
“Hey, drop the knife, dude,” Holman said. “Drop the knife. Drop that knife.”
Edwards then steps off the curb into the parking lot. “Hey, don't come near me,” Holman said.
Holman t hen deploys a Taser twice. Smith at the same time sprays Edwards with a chemical deterrent.
Edwards then charges at Duroy with the knife. Duroy fires three times, hitting Edwards in the abdomen with the second shot and in the arm and chest with the third shot.
The videos show Holman drops his Ta se rand fires three times after Edwards turns away from Duroy and flees down the parking lot.
The first shot missed, an investigation determined. The second hit Edward's leg and the third hit him in the back. That fatal shot came 28 seconds after Holman arrived.
Edwards was 60. After the shooting, Holman can be heard muttering an expletive.
Holman is accused in the charge of“willfully, unlawful ly and unnecessarily” shooting Edwards “after an attempt by the deceased to commit a crime had failed.” If convicted, the officer faces at least four years in prison and could be sentenced to life.
The district attorney cleared Duroy and Smith of any wrong doing after reviewing the videos and reports and deciding they had acted lawfully.
Holman plans to contest the charge.
“We respect the heartac he Mr. Edwards' family is suffering, but we are convinced Sgt. Holman acted lawfully, and we are proud to represent him as we fight these charges in a court of law,” said his attorney, Kyle Sweet.
Holman and Duroy can be heard on the videos discussing what happened.
“You went lethal, too, didn't you?” Duroy asks.
“After you shot,” Holman responds.
“And that' s when he started running off, right?” Duroy asks.
“You hit him. And he started running. And he still had the knife in his hand that I could tell,” Holman responds.
“We can't let him get to anybody else,” Duroy said.
“No ,” Holman said in agreement.