Little Rock police have completed an investigation of a deadly officer-involved shooting last month and released video of the killing to the public. Officer Charles Starks fatally shot Bradley Blackshire, 30, during a traffic stop Feb. 22 at West 12th Street and Rodney Parham Road. Police said Blackshire was driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen. According to initial police accounts, the vehicle was stopped when Blackshire accelerated and hit Starks. Starks then opened fire. Mayor Frank Scott Jr., speaking at a news conference Thursday alongside Interim Police Chief Wayne Bewley, said that administrative and criminal investigations had been completed by the department and that findings had been submitted to prosecutors for review. Scott also said the FBI was looking into the killing on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. Scott said that earlier this week Blackshire's family viewed footage of the killing recorded by police dashboard cameras. Police released a roughly 25-minute version of the footage Thursday afternoon. An attorney for Blackshire's family has disputed the police account of the killing. Omavi Shukur said the car was slowly rolling forward when Starks stepped in front of the vehicle and shot Blackshire multiple times. Shukur said Blackshire did not accelerate. Shukur also said there's no evidence indicating Blackshire knew the vehicle had been reported stolen. He has called on Arkansas State Police to conduct an independent investigation of the killing.
Comments
(Old Spike)
(Long Spike)
Cop used the "Jump in front of a car to create a situation to open fire" technique and it worked perfectly. He riddled that clown. Kidding. The car thief didn't obey commands from a police officer with a drawn gun. The criminal also turned out to have a gun. Shooting him dead saved a lot of court time and his eventual release into society. Good shoot.
(Short Spike)
You mean like this.. 1:44
(Old Spike)
Situation probably could have been avoided if the officer blocked the car in with the cruiser. They drive around in the biggest fucking SUV's and can't block them?
(Old Spike)
Yea, he could have done that. Then again, the guy in the stolen car could have not tried to drive away from a felony arrest.
(Short Spike)
deserved to die for it tho? little harsh.
(Old Spike)
Deserve to die? No. Did he deserve to get shot? Yes, that is the consequence of his decision to flee a felony arrest when the officer is standing in front of his vehicle ordering him to halt. The choice was his. He decided to gamble that the officer would not fire, because that's what dumb motherfuckers do. Had he just surrendered he would still be alive.
(Old Spike)
This guy was probably known to police. Also, don't you want to be safe rather than sorry?
What I find weird is the pedestrian like escape speed. I bet he was drugged.