D.C. police released body camera footage Thursday of the fatal police shooting of a man in a car in Northeast, Washington, DC, after the department says officers initially found him armed, unconscious and blocking traffic. Gilmore’s family says that he is known to have medical issues.
DC Police Fatally Shoot Man Initially Found Asleep in Car With Gun: MPD
What We Know:
- Antwan Gilmore was killed by an officer on New York Avenue NE. He was 27 and lived in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Gilmore was initially asleep when officers encountered him and was “awake at some point,” Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police Robert Contee said at a news conference Thursday morning.
- Footage published in an edited “community briefing” video from MPD shows the encounter from officers’ perspectives (see below).
“The investigation into what happened is just beginning.”
- Contee said a ballistic shield being held by the officer who fired 10 shots — whose name was not released — makes it hard to see what he may have seen.
“It’s very difficult to see through the lens of the officer, the one officer in this case that fired. It’s very difficult to see what that officer is seeing. What did he perceive to be the threat at that point?” Contee said, noting the department did not yet have a statement from the officer.
- Fifth District officers were dispatched to Florida Avenue and New York Avenue NE at about 2:45 a.m. for a report of an unconscious person in a car occupying a traffic lane. When they arrived, they found Gilmore, who was “unresponsive” and had his foot on the brake of a running car. A handgun was visible in his waistband, police said. A gun was found in Gilmore’s waistband, police said. Contee said he didn’t know if Gilmore ever removed the gun from his waistband. It remained there after the shooting, he said.
- The five-and-a-half-minute video released by MPD shows several officers around Gilmore’s black BMW. They can be heard knocking on the windows and talking about a gun and then the car suddenly moves forward and officers start shouting “Don’t move!” and “Police!” Several shots are fired. It is against MPD police policy to fire at a moving vehicle. The police say that as they went to talk to him, he began moving the car forward.
- The police chief promised transparency and accountability. It is still unclear why ambulance or emergency services were not immediately dispatched to the scene. Friends and family are demanding justice and took to DC streets in protest on Thursday.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For updates download Black News Alerts.
