On Monday, police in Charlotte, NC released disturbing video shown a man named Danquirs Franklin being shot and killed after he appeared to be following their repeated orders to put his gun on the ground in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.
Earlier, several minutes before police arrived at the scene, one of the two 911 callers said an armed man entered the fast food restaurant and tried to start a fight with employees.
“Can you please send somebody quickly? Please. He got a gun. … He’s pointing it,” she said in the recording released by police.
Here’s MORE from CNN:
A judge ordered police to release the video — captured by officer Wende Kerl’s bodycam on March 25 — which prompted the mayor and police chief to say they were bracing for protests hours before the video was made public. Both appealed for calm hours before a crowd gathered for a peaceful rally and vigil in a downtown park.
The video opens with Kerl driving to the scene and a dispatcher telling her that an armed man, who at least two 911 callers had reported to police, was on the passenger side of a red Honda Accord parked in a handicapped space. She arrives to find Danquirs Franklin squatting beside the car with the door open.
She and another officer approach him, guns drawn. Franklin’s hands aren’t visible, but both officers, standing by the Accord’s trunk, say repeatedly that he is armed.
“Sir, put the gun gown!” Kerl tells Franklin.
Officer Larry Deal adds, “Put it down! Put it down now!”
‘WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW’ GIVING KEVIN HUNTER THE BOOT; HE’S SOON TO BE OUT!
Franklin appears dazed, barely acknowledging the officers, almost as if he doesn’t hear them. He focuses his attention on someone inside the car and looks down and at the car door. At one point, a bystander walks within a few feet of Franklin and the officers order her to get out of the way.
After being told to drop the weapon or put it on the ground about 20 times, Franklin’s right hand slowly appears and Kerl shoots him twice.
Franklin looks incredulous. His words are barely audible over the commotion, but he appears to say something to the effect of, “You told me to…” before grimacing in pain, collapsing into the door and rolling on his side, onto the asphalt.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Homicide Unit is investigating the incident. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office will review the evidence after, the department said.
Get the rest of the story at CNN via MSN News.
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