Denton, Texas police have finally released the body cam video on Thursday (March 5) of an officer-involved shooting that ended the life of 23-year-old college student Darius Tarver.

Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon says he didn’t want to release the video of the January incident, but did so to avoid civil unrest after weeks of protests demanded more transparency from the department over what happened.

The video, which comes from four different police body cameras, show Tarver was holding a large knife and frying pan when police encountered him close to the stairwell of his apartment building. 

After Tarver did not follow commands to drop the items, an officer tased him, causing him to stumble toward officers. One of the cops then fired a single shot in his direction.

Tarver, after falling to the ground for a few seconds, gets back up, retrieves the pan and advances toward officers again. That’s when the same officer fired two more times, which would prove to be fatal.

Dixon claims his officers acted professionally and was critical of those who questioned the responding officer’s decisions in the shooting.

“We’re not going to allow people — no matter if it’s for your personal agenda, your political aspirations or even if you’re grieving — to say hateful things about our cops,” he said

Dixon says all four officers involved have returned to regular duty within the department. He also claims an internal affairs investigation won’t be completed until the district attorney presents the case to a grand jury and it returns any possible criminal charges.

Attorney S. Lee Merritt posted a photo of Tarver on his Instagram page about the shooting saying: “#DariusTarver needed help. Medical attention or a mental health professional. He was clearly in a state of mental health crisis. Surrounded by 4 cops when he was shot to death, holding nothing but a flimsy frying pan— he wasnt a threat. Lethal force was unjustified.”