South Carolina police released bodycam footage of officers shooting and killing a black man in handcuffs they said was wielding a weapon in a parking lot at Walmart.
28-year-old Ariane Lamont McCree was gunned down by officers last November in front of a Walmart in Chester. He was in cuffs at the time of the shooting after being arrested under suspicion of theft. In March, The South Carolina attorney general’s office told the media that the policemen acted in self-defense and that the man pulled a gun on them as he tried to escape the arrest.
The Post and Courier reported that the footage given to news publications shows an officer with his gun drawn closing in on the suspect from the other side of the parking lot.
It also shows officers later removing a gun from McCree’s body.
In November, South Carolina police shot Ariane McCree at least two dozen times while he was handcuffed. The SC AG declined to press charges against officers. After video footage was released Thursday, he’s now requesting a federal review. By @joey_cranney https://t.co/ydhVRHCUYy
— Akela Lacy (@akela_lacy) June 14, 2020
According to Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod, who represents the McCree family, there is no way McCree could have pointed a gun at the policemen with his hands cuffed behind his back, as per The Post and Courier.
Police and the McCree family have different versions of what happened in the video. Nevertheless, the shooting ignited protests in the city.
Last Friday, at a press conference in Chester, the McCree’s held on to their version that McCree was not a threat to the policemen, according to The Post Courier. They were critical of officials for waiting more than half a year to make the footage public.
Ariane McCree was shot more than two dozen times by police while his hands were handcuffed behind his back. They claimed he was shooting at them. The bodycam footage was just realized. He never fired his gun. When are we going to say enough is enough?https://t.co/zBmMzm0uLa
— Ted Cruz Ate My Son 😷 (@ate_ted) June 13, 2020
The man’s grandfather, Charlie Stringfellow, criticized the officer’s decision to use force for an alleged shoplifting incident.
“If it’s true, it’s not worth his life,” he said.
Chester Police Chief Eric Williams told The Herald that the footage shows the policeman taking appropriate action.
“My officer took the action he took because he was facing an imminent threat,” he said. “There was a firearm in view and pointed at him.”
For WCNC’s report on the story please see the video below.
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