Deadly Dallas Police Shooting Body Cam Footage Released More Than a Year Nine Months After Incident

39-year-old Jason Harrison was shot and killed by cops for wielding a small screwdriver.

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Last June in Dallas 39-year-old Jason Harrison's mother called police to help her get her schizophrenic son to the hospital. Police said Harrison's mother told them he had been making violent threats. Police arrived and, finding Harrison holding a screwdriver, shot him outside his home. The family obtained footage from a body cam last October and have now released it.

Dallas police officials have said the footage supports their officers' self-defense claim. The police department said an internal investigation into whether the cops broke any laws concluded this week, with the findings being forwarded to the local district attorney and possibly a grand jury. The investigation into whether the police violated any department policies continues, but both officers are back on the job.

Watch the video below:

The family says they hope releasing the video will spark a conversation police reform and training. They filed a federal lawsuit against the police department in October.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Watch the video below...

Pass.

[Episiarch]

I'm actually dreading doing so. Because I have a feeling the video will not, in any way, shape, or form, support the officers' self-defense claim. So I'll just be watching a man get murdered by thugs.

[John in GA]

Translation: Even with very limited facts, I have already bought into the narrative that the police murdered this man. I am now reluctant to be presented with any facts that are contrary to the narrative, because that might cause me to feel less justified in my outrage.

[Hamster of Doom]

Being squicked out never crossed your mind. Seems suspicious.

[JW]

Translation: We've seen this shit 1,000 times before and we know how it ends.

Verdict: Epi was correct. Have fun fucking off now.

[JW]

Dallas police officials have said the footage supports their officers' self-defense claim.

:"We have confirmed that they needlessly escalated the situation, instantly resorted to lethal action and ignored all of their training in how to deal with the mentally disturbed. Good shoot."

[Citizen Nothing]

My god! It was a Phillips head! Good thing those brave officers got home safely.

[John in GA]

Try this: find a 240-lb man and ask him to stab you with a phillips head screwdriver in the chest, neck, or face as hard as he can. Even better if he's psychotic. Take notes on the extent of your injuries and let us know how it turns out.

[Brendan]

I can move out of his way while my partner tasers him.

[Loki]

Try this: go suck cop cock elsewhere.

[Pope Jimbo]

His mom was brave enough to be going towards him in the video. She was lucky she didn't get plugged too.

It was hard for me to tell if the guy did anything wrong or not. However, it was sure clear that 30 seconds before being shot, he seemed calm and no threat to anyone. It was the cops who started yelling and screaming first.

Why not back the fuck up instead of just shooting the guy? Or use a taser?

[JW]

Wow. They really tripped over themselves trying to de-escalate the situation or to, you know, back away and deal with a known mental case at a safe distance.

Resorting to lethal means a as a default setting, natch.

[Cyto]

Nice bit of time-warping by the policemen's lawyer:

But the officers who shot Harrison feared for their lives, said their attorney, Chris Livingston. He said killing someone with a screwdriver would be "pretty easy. It'll only take one blow."

"You can't de-escalate someone coming at you with a weapon," Livingston added.

So, mentally ill guy calmly walks to the front door in response to his mother and the police's request. He is casually turning a screwdriver in his hands - decidedly non-threatening in demeanor.

The police respond by drawing their weapons and screaming commands.

But "you can't de-escalate someone coming at you with a weapon." Right.

[Citizen Nothing]

Dallas police officials have said the footage supports their officers' self-defense claim.

What.
The.
Fuck.

[Cyto]

It absolutely supports their claim of self defense. Zero chance they get charged. He was moving toward them with a screwdriver in his hand. Just moving toward them - or even moving quickly might have justified a shooting with a police officer behind the trigger.

The fact that they created the circumstances that lead to their perceived need to shoot won't enter into it, even though it should.

They acted completely incompetently - but entirely according to their training.

The people who employ and train them should be up on charges. Their procedures guarantee that a certain percentage of people will be killed unnecessarily. I'm not even talking about special training for dealing with the mentally ill. Just normal, decent human interactions. The training they receive seems to be entirely predicated on what you should do during a dynamic entry against an armed and dangerous person intent on shooting the police and others. So they always move forward, always try to intimidate and overwhelm with "shock and awe", always with the blitzkrieg.

This might be the right idea in the extremely rare circumstance of a murderer holding hostages. Otherwise, a more cautious approach would be safer for everyone.

Still, things going wrong like this are pretty rare. Out of the hundreds of thousands of this style of encounter every year, only several hundred end up with the "civilian" getting killed. So I suppose we'll just stick with this training regimen then.

[hamilton]

Super. Just super.

I love how, right after they shoot him three times and he's fallen to the ground bleeding his life out, they continue to point the gun at him and yell "DROP IT! DROP IT!". God knows what he might have done with that screwdriver at that point.

[Citizen Nothing]

At least they let his mom get out of the way.

[creech]

Good news from Allentown, Pa. yesterday. Two cops were dismissed with intent to be criminally prosecuted for using excessive force, and they were apparently ratted out by fellow officers. Leos, clean out the rotten apples if you ever expect confidence to be restored in your stated goal of serve and protect.

[bassjoe]

Small screwdriver held by crazy person doing some irrational = crazy person dies. Makes total sense. At least the city won't have to pay for the crazy person's 72-hour confinement now.

/s

[Citizen Nothing]

If they didn't shoot that kid they might have been screwed.

[Anonymous Coward]

Woo hoo! Another cop made home safely after patrolling his sector of the homefront! USA! USA! USA! A screwdriver is no match for one our Brave Public Heroes!

If you watch to the end, you hear an interesting conversation asking the shooter which police association he's a part of so they can get their legal ducks in a row.

Out of morbid curiosity, I went to see what the copsuckers at PoliceOne had to say about this and was greeted with this:

PoliceOne comments can only be accessed by verified law enforcement professionals.
Please sign in or register to view or write your own comments below.

[Brendan]

Indeed, I'm just awestruck at how brave and restrained those two were. This kind of stuff is what they should show kids who want to be cops. If they still do, get them mental help.

[HuntTheShunt]

PoliceOne was far more fun before they disabled viewing comments that police members left after articles posted. Interestingly, they were available for viewing only a few weeks ago and have since disabled them. Probably because they realized that people like us were telling other about the racism and bloodthirst that typically filled the comments.

[Brochettaward]

The thing that strikes me about this video is, from the time the man appeared with the screwdriver to the end, was how much panic there was and how they didn't seem to really know what the hell they were doing. Which is kind of what I expect. They aren't properly trained. No aid was administered to the suspect they just shot. The one cop didn't even realize he was unconscious.

So, I didn't see malice here as much as stupidity and poor training. The guy in question, he seems to come at them and at close range. It's not as bad as the other videos you see where they shot someone with a knife (like the homeless dude in the park when they had the dogs and everything) at range. It happened fast. I can understand the shots to an extent, even if they should have some alternative to using a gun.

Everything after the shots in this case bothers me more. Less malice and more you have no clue what you're doing. Don't cops receive basic first aid training? They have procedures on shooting a suspect? Sure as hell didn't look like it. It should be something cops drill routinely. And if they didn't follow protocol, why and how much blame is on their superiors? If they want to act like military, start holding them accountable to the same degree (ideally, to a higher degree - they aren't in a warzone).

[Cyto]

The guy in question, he seems to come at them and at close range.

This is the problem, right here. It is obvious that the training they are receiving is to always advance, always escalate, never retreat. The guy appeared at the door absentmindedly playing with a screwdriver and the camera wearer immediately pulled out his gun.

If he was so afraid of the screwdriver, why didn't he just back up 3 steps? Any competent human being would just back up if he was afraid some guy he never met before was a potential threat while standing in his own front door. But not Mr. Superhero Cop. He pulls out his gun and starts shouting commands. The minute the guy flinches he's shot dead.

If they had simply retreated a few steps when they saw the screwdriver, the whole thing would have been avoided.

Everything you say is true. They panic. Then they wander around aimlessly as he bleeds out. Although the shooter sounds shaken by what just happened, nobody seems to give a rats ass about saving the guy's life. That's depraved indifference, right there. Absent the badge, that might be enough to get you a sentencing modifier.

I will note that they had enough presence of mind to avoid discussing what happened while on camera (4:48). That part of their training kicked in, at least. Wait until you review all of the evidence with your union rep before making any statements or submitting any reports. Gotta keep that story straight.

[Robert]

Yeah, I know someone's being killed in it, but I'm LOL, really hard from the 1st few mins. of the video! Really, you've got to see it, you wouldn't believe it if it were just described.

[Cyto]

I will also note that they appear to have excellent training for handling the aftermath of an officer involved shooting. In addition to being careful about making any statements on video, they are very attentive to the needs of the officer who has been through this traumatic event.

They even have a procedure for a "companion officer" to come stay with him and escort him to the station. He requests his buddy who is on duty at the zoo, so they get another officer to sit with him while his buddy is en route. This is excellent caretaking by the department and his fellow officers - helping to ensure his well being in the aftermath of a very traumatic event.

Now, the poor schlub who they just shot? Not so much. After about 10 minutes of laying face down in a pool of his own blood, they get concerned that he may have moved. Then a paramedic finally goes over to see if he is moving. But all of that stuff you see on TV about holding pressure on wounds and starting an IV and yelling "stat" and rushing to the nearest trauma center... nah, not so much.

[Paul.]

Wait the fuck a second, listen @2:43, "shots fired... on officers".

Did I hear that right? Dude lied. I still haven't heard any call for an ambulance. Just shots fired, then at the 2:43 mark, a reiteration of shots fired, then he adds "on officers". What the fuck?

[Juice]

Yup. That's exactly what he says. Murderer and liar.