Indiana Police Release Video of Fatal Traffic Stop Shooting Involving 22-Year-Old Black Man

An Indiana police force released video from a body camera showing how an officer fatally shot a 22-year-old Black man during a traffic stop. The death led to protests in the area.

This week, Fort Wayne police shared a statement and an edited video clip from the stop on Saturday night. In the statement, they said that the officer fired because of “actions from occupants inside the vehicle.” After the shooting, police said a gun was taken from the car.

A police officer did not answer right away when called and asked for a full, uncensored copy of what happened.

Linzell Parhm was the name of the guy who was shot. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead there.

“The body camera footage is being made public so that everyone can see what happened and get a better sense of what happened,” cops said. “Everyone is affected by these events, and it’s important to get all the facts before making a decision.”

Video out now At the start of Tuesday, the police officer tells a group of people in a red car to keep their hands on the dashboard.

At first, the man in the front passenger seat does what you ask, but then he moves his left hand to reach down. The film shows that the officer, whose name is Mason Wills, then points a gun at the man.

“Don’t take your hands off the dash!” Wills says, “If you reach down there again, I’ll shoot you, motherf—er.”

Someone else says, “Brother, keep them on the dash.”

Wills asks for help over his radio, and the guy in the passenger seat moves his hand a second time.

Wills tells her again, “Don’t reach for that f—ing gun or I’ll shoot you, motherf—er.”

Someone in the car says, “He’s not going to.”

Wills tells someone who can’t be seen, “Hey, stay back.” “Don’t grab that gun,” he said. Don’t take your hands off the steering wheel.

Soon after, the man moves his hand a third time, and that’s when Wills fires. Because of how the camera is set up, there is no way to see a gun during the exchange.

The video goes black after shots are fired and then cuts to another shot of several police officers circling the car. Police open the passenger door and take a gun out of the front passenger seat’s footwell.

The police said it was a 7.62 mm Draco AK gun.

The police have not yet explained why they stopped the car. The police department said that Wills has been put on administrative leave as per company policy.

The cops also said that the video was seen by Parhm’s family. Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer hired by Parhm’s family, did not reply right away to a request for comment.

People in the area protested Parhm’s death and asked that a video of the stop be made public, according to NBC affiliate WPTA of Fort Wayne. The killing is also being looked into by the Indiana State Police, the station said.

Parhm was in charge of the Euell A. Wilson Center, a Christian organization that helped kids and their families.

On its Facebook page, the center has memorials for Parhm and links to give money to his family. There were also pictures of kids at the center writing letters to Parhm.

The center said on Sunday that he often smiled and “captured the hearts of everyone.”

It said, “Linzell worked hard to make sure all the kids at the center felt like they belonged, and he cared so much about his family and his community.”