DC Police Release Bodycam Video of Deadly Shooting Outside McDonald’s in Southeast DC

DC Police Release Bodycam Video of Deadly Shooting Outside McDonald’s in Southeast DC

A week after police shot and killed a man outside a McDonald’s in southeast Washington, DC, police have released bodycam footage of the shooting.

A week after police shot and killed a man outside a McDonald’s in southeast Washington, DC, authorities have released body camera footage of the shooting.

Justin Robinson, 26, a Washington, D.C., man who worked with violence prevention programs in the District, was fatally shot by two police officers over the weekend after he was found unconscious after entering the restaurant.

The bodycam footage was released after Robinson’s family gave authorities permission to release the footage, reversing their original decision not to release the footage.

“Any loss of life is a tragic outcome for the family and for our community,” D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference Monday night.

The shooting occurred around 5:30 a.m. on September 1 after police were called to the scene of the crash at the McDonald’s on Marion Barry Avenue in Southeast D.C.

When officers arrived, they cleared the area of ​​bystanders, used police vehicles to box in Robinson’s vehicle and devised a plan to respond while he was still unresponsive, Smith said. Police said a firearm was also seen in the car on Robinson’s lap.

In the two body camera videos released Monday, Robinson is seen partially rolling down the driver’s side window as officers surround his vehicle. One of the officers thrusts a service weapon through the partially open window while still yelling at Robinson to not touch his weapon and to put his hands up.

Smith said the video shows one of the officers pointing his gun through the driver’s side window and looking at Robinson.

“He grabs the officer’s gun,” Smith said. “There’s an altercation and the officer … fires his gun.”

She said the video shows Robinson’s gun falling from his left hand into his lap.

Two officers fired approximately twelve shots at Robinson.

The video below contains disturbing images that may not be suitable for certain audiences.

The shooting is being investigated by the department’s Force Investigation Team, which investigates police shootings. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. will also review the case to determine whether any laws were broken, and the department’s internal affairs division will determine whether the officers violated policy.

“It’s tough on the community too,” Smith said. “It’s risky and it’s serious. It’s a dangerous situation, for everybody.”

‘The public must be aware’

Robinson worked with the Washington DC Attorney General’s Office’s “Cure the Streets” program to interrupt violence.

“The (violence interruption) programs have certainly played an important role in mediating issues,” Smith said Wednesday.

In a statement from the Robinson family’s attorneys, Brandon Burrell and Justin Holliman of the Hollimon Firm, they said: “The family was initially concerned about the possibility that an edited or redacted version would be released. However, we are cautiously optimistic that the video that is released will show what happened.”

Relatives initially indicated that they did not want the images to be made public, but later changed their minds.

“The family believes in complete transparency. The public needs to be informed and see for themselves what happened to Justin,” Hollimon told WTOP.

Robinson’s sister and Washington D.C. activist No No Taylor were quoted in The Washington Post after viewing the video as saying they believed the D.C. police could have de-escalated the situation.

“Mr. Robinson was aggressively awakened by a gun pointed in his face by DC officers. His startled response did not give the officers the legal authority to kill him,” Hollimon added.

At a candlelight vigil held Friday night by Black Lives Matter and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, other community organizers from across DC showed up to pay their respects. Many speakers spoke about how Robinson made it his job to de-escalate violent situations and preach peace.

The officers who shot Robinson have been placed on administrative leave. The incident is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.

WTOP’s Jack Moore, Ana Golden and Matt Kaufax contributed to this report.

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