Body Camera Footage Released, Officer Identified In Police-Involved Shooting Of Kevin Mason
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore city police released the body-worn camera footage from a fatal officer-involved shooting Sunday.
Police said Wednesday that they did not find a gun on Kevin Mason.
They also released the name of the officer involved in the shooting: John Johnson, a 25-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department.
Police released several 911 calls, the body-worn camera footage and other video related to the call.
Family Demands To See Police Body Camera Video After Deadly NW Baltimore Standoff
WARNING: Graphic language and visuals in video below.
During a press conference Wednesday, police first played a 911 call from Sunday at 11:35 p.m. In it you hear a woman tell a dispatch operator that "he beat me up, he choke me in the house."
She then said he took her phone across the street to the neighbor's house.
When the dispatcher asked her to identify the person, the woman said "Kevin Mason."
Next police showed the body-worn camera footage of officers arriving at the home in the 4900 block of Pembridge Avenue around 11:49 p.m. An officer knocked on the door and when a man opens the door, you hear a dog aggressively barking and officers asking him to get the dog away from the door.
"What the f---?" the man yelled. "Get the f--- off my property!"
The officers told him someone called 911.
You can see the man charging at officers and the officers retreating, saying "Get back!"
Officers asked Mason to talk to them. However he goes back inside his home.
Then in another 911 call Mason made to police at 11:53 p.m., you heard him say, "you know what? you need to tell these police to get the f--- out my f-----g door."
"I'm gonna come out there, I'm gonna blast their a--," Mason said on the call. "I'm gonna kill every last one of them mother f------s!"
Then in another body-worn camera video around 11:56 p.m. you can see officers trying to arrest Mason. He came out of of the back door of his home.
Mason continued to yell at the officers and at this point officers see him pointing an object, they believe is a gun, at them.
An officer said "he has a handgun, watch out!"
The officer asked Mason to put his hands up, but he did not comply.
Another video showed the officers talking about their interactions with Mason and said he was armed.
Then a video from around 12:13 a.m. Monday showed the actual shooting.
Officers approach the back of Mason's home, when all of a sudden you hear an officer yell, "come out with your hands up, you're under arrest."
Then you can hear the shots fired.
Two shots were fired by Officer Johnson, according to the police commissioner.
Commissioner Michael Harrison said that he spoke to Mason's sister and gave her a heads up they would release the body-worn camera footage.
Harrison described the conversation as "pleasant." Just two days ago, Mason's sister was demanding answers after the shooting.
He said officers knew they were heading into a volatile situation and escalated once officers arrived on scene.
Harrison said domestic violence situations are the most dangerous calls officers respond to.
Police have drafted a policy regarding the release of body-worn camera footage. It is being reviewed by the Department of Justice.
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