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De’Von Bailey Was Fatally Shot In The Back By Colorado Springs Police. His Family Is Demanding Answers

The 19-year-old’s family is calling for an independent investigation.

A Colorado family is demanding justice after unarmed Black man, De’Von Bailey, was shot three times in his back on August 3. 

Bodycam footage from the Colorado Springs Police Department shows the 19-year-old fleeing from two police officers when he and another man was questioned about a reported robbery. That second man has been identified as Bailey’s 19-year-old cousin, Lawrence Stoker.

“We got a report of two people of similar descriptions possibly with a gun, all right?” Sgt. Alan Van’t Land said in the footage released on Thursday. “Don’t reach for your waist. We’re going to check it and just make sure you don’t have a weapon.”

Bailey runs and the first officer chases him, saying to keep his hands up before firing his weapon. Eight gunshots can be heard in the video. Bailey was shot three times in his back and once in his right arm. 

The teenager died at the hospital. 

The shots that entered Bailey’s back hit his left lung and his heart. 

The video shows the officers handcuffing the teen who had blood on his hands from his wounds. He was apprehended before being offered medical assistance. An object can be seen between his legs, which the officers believe to be a gun. Whether or not that object was a gun is still unclear. 

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office released a statement following Bailey’s murder alleging Bailey reached for a firearm before the shooting. The claim was disputed by both witnesses at the scene and Bailey’s relatives, sparking outrage. 

Bailey’s family and friends protested this week in front of the city's police headquarters, demanding an independent investigation into Bailey’s fatal shooting.

Darold Killmer, one of the family’s attorneys, told reporters at a news conference that the cop’s investigation was flawed, suggesting that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado Springs police have a “conflict of interest” as they regularly investigate themselves. 

The Colorado Springs police did not release a statement on Thursday.

 

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