Prosecutor releases video of fatal police shooting that shows suspect firing at officer
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Video of a fatal police shooting in Tennessee shows a suspect “fired multiple shots at point blank range” at an officer before police shot him in an exchange of gunfire, a prosecutor said.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp on Sunday released the security camera footage from the Aug. 11 shooting that killed 34-year-old Roger Heard Jr. and wounded Chattanooga Police Officer Celtain Batterson.
Days earlier, dozens of people attended a Chattanooga City Council meeting demanding answers about the shooting. Heard’s family and community members, including the local NAACP, urged law enforcement to release more information and video.
The shooting happened as officers with the Chattanooga Police Department were attempting to serve felony arrest warrants on Heard at a Speedway gas station, Wamp said in a statement. Officers approached to serve the warrants and arrest Heard and were “loudly and repeatedly announcing themselves as police officers,” Wamp said.
“Batterson attempted to open the suspect’s vehicle door and at that time the suspect made a kicking movement in Batterson’s direction, raised his right arm and fired multiple shots at point blank range in Batterson’s direction, striking him in the right arm,” the release said. “Batterson instantly retreated before being able to respond with gunfire.”
The video shows Heard “was purposefully traveling in the direction of Batterson, and still armed,” when he was shot, Wamp said.
It’s not protocol for investigators with the police agency to be equipped with body worn cameras, Wamp said. The footage released Sunday is owned by a private company and was made available after a subpoena, she said.
“The officers involved in this incident, like so many officers are required to do, were forced to make split-second decisions under extreme stress and pressure,” she added later. “Investigator Batterson, Investigator Ayers, and Officer Dyess did the exact job that they were called and trained to do. Our community is fortunate beyond measure that we did not lose a law enforcement officer.”
The investigation into the shooting is continuing, Wamp said.