DENVER (AP) — Police in suburban Denver on Friday planned to release body camera footage showing an officer fatally shooting a 14-year-old Black boy they say was armed with a pellet gun.
Police had earlier said that Jor’Dell Richardson had a semiautomatic handgun. The teenager was shot June 2 after a struggle on the ground with police who chased him from a store in Aurora, where he and a group of other teens are suspected of stealing vaping cartridges, authorities said.
In a news conference soon after the shooting, police Chief Art Acevedo said one officer could be heard on the body camera footage saying “let go of the gun.”
Police responded after a member of the city’s gang unit, who happened to be driving by, saw a group of teens wearing hoodies and medical masks approaching a convenience store. Some of the teens left in a stolen minivan after the robbery, while Jor’Dell and another ran in different directions, police said. The other teen was arrested.
Police showed the body camera footage to Jor’Dell’s family and lawyers on Tuesday but must wait at least 72 hours after that before releasing it to the public under state law.
In a statement, the family’s attorneys said the video footage “left them with more questions than answers.” They plan to speak at a news conference after the police release the footage.
A GoFundMe page for Jor’Dell’s family said he was not a “bad kid” and was “associating with the wrong crowd.”
“He was loved, talented, and had dreams for his future that will forever remain unfulfilled,” the page said.
