Anthony McClain Shooting Footage Released By Police
Police officials in Pasadena, Calif., have released footage of the fatal shooting of Anthony McClain, who was killed Aug. 15 by officers while attempting to flee from a traffic stop.
In the video released on Thursday (August 20), McClain is seen emerging from the passenger side of a vehicle he was riding in and began to run from officers. Police claim the 32-year-old pulled a weapon from his waistband, prompting officers to fire multiple rounds at him.
The video does not clearly show what McClain actually had in his waistband as he ran.
“The video is never going to be clear enough, but we recovered the gun, both police officers saw it and we have a witness who saw him throw the gun,” Pasadena Chief of Police John Perez said after the video was released, according to Pasadena Now.
A firearm was discovered near the shooting and it was reportedly not discharged. Perez says his police department is waiting for DNA and fingerprint evidence to confirm the gun was handled by McClain.
McClain and a friend, who was the driver of the vehicle, were stopped on a Pasadena street when cops noticed the vehicle did not have a front license plate.
The driver, who was not identified, reportedly fully cooperated with police and said that he had just purchased the vehicle and the license plate had fallen off. He provided the plate to the police and admitted he did not have a valid driver’s license and stepped out of the vehicle.
McClain also stepped out of the car with his hands up. After he began running from the police, video shows him losing his shoes. As he looked back at the nearest officer chasing him, he looked back was shot twice, a video released by the Pasadena Police Department shows.
The shots did not appear to slow down McClain after being hit, however he was located by the officer who shot him. That cop did not turn on his body camera footage until he approached McClain who had fallen to the ground and was bleeding.
Chief Perez says his department is willing to have a community discussion over the incident and whether police should be able to fire at armed suspects that are fleeing.
Currently, it is legal in California for an officer to use deadly force to apprehend a fleeing person “for any felony that threatened or resulted in death or serious bodily injury, and if the officer reasonably believes that the person will cause death or serious bodily injury to another unless immediately apprehended.”
Watch the police-provided footage of the Anthony McClain shooting below.
